[Article] No injuries in bus fire

Victor

What is it about buses and fires?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0315/breaking70.html

No injuries in bus fire
PAT FLYNN

A Bus Éireann coach today burst into flames on a busy road in Co Clare just moments after dropping off the last of its passengers which included a number of school children.

The 3.45pm service from Mallow Street in Limerick City to Ardnacrusha in Co Clare, which had earlier carried up to 35 passengers, had just dropped off its final customers when the incident occurred.

The single-decker DAF bus was returning to the city at around 4.30pm when the driver noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle.

Two units of the fire brigade from Limerick City attended the incident. The road was closed as crews extinguished the fire which was further fuelled by leaking diesel. The 10 year old bus which was almost completely destroyed.

The road from Barry's Cross to Ardnacrusha remained closed to traffic while Bus Éireann staff waited for a tow-truck to arrive from Cork to remove the vehicle. Clare County Council also attended the scene to carry out an inspection of the roadway which was badly damaged by the intensity of the blaze.

Bus Éireann spokesman Andrew McLindon confirmed: "The driver was making his way back to the city to recommence the service when he noticed a fire at the back of the bus. The driver acted quickly and was not injured. It is too early to say what caused the fire but we are carrying out our own investigation of the incident".

bmaxi

Poor maintenance?

I really shouldn't be saying that as I have no recent experience. In my time with Dublin City, every driver was issued with a defects sheet which new recruits quickly realised were just fancy toilet paper.
Day after day buses were put into service with the same defects which could include fuel leaks, electrical faults, brakes, tyres etc. I don't know whether this was due to pressure to keep the fleet on the road or lackadaisical work practices and I can only hope that things have improved.

Cookie_Monster

this seems to happen fairly frequently considering, buses just going on fire.

Are there no dash warning lights to say something has gone wrong, is running hot etc etc. They don't just instantly burst into flame. The electronics should be picking this kind of thing up well before it is noticeable by the driver.

bmaxi

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

this seems to happen fairly frequently considering, buses just going on fire.

Are there no dash warning lights to say something has gone wrong, is running hot etc etc. They don't just instantly burst into flame. The electronics should be picking this kind of thing up well before it is noticeable by the driver.

That's exactly my point, for the dash lights to give warning they need to be connected and working. I came across several instances where troublesome warning buzzers would just be disconnected, sometimes by the drivers themselves.
When I worked for Dublin City, at all the major bus stances the road would be like ice from spilled oil and fuel, boiling radiators and binding brakes were an everyday thing. That all suggests poor maintenance to me.

Run_to_da_hills

Halon type engine bay sprinkler systems are also availible and are quite effective.

Outlay would be quite expensive but would be a lot cheaper than replacing a vehicle.

http://www.safety-marine.co.uk/Fire-Extinguishers-and-Fire-Fighting-Equipment/Automatic-Engine-Fire-Extinguishers/Sea-Fire-FM200-Automatic-Engine-Fire-Extinguisher.htm?P3429-S80-

Tarabuses

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Halon type engine bay sprinkler systems are also availible and are quite effective.

Outlay would be quite expensive but would be a lot cheaper than replacing a vehicle.

http://www.safety-marine.co.uk/Fire-Extinguishers-and-Fire-Fighting-Equipment/Automatic-Engine-Fire-Extinguishers/Sea-Fire-FM200-Automatic-Engine-Fire-Extinguisher.htm?P3429-S80-

Surely the cost saving would depend on the number of buses to be equipped with the sprinkler system compared to the number of vehicles lost due to fire?

Vic_08

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Halon type engine bay sprinkler systems are also availible and are quite effective.

Outlay would be quite expensive but would be a lot cheaper than replacing a vehicle.

http://www.safety-marine.co.uk/Fire-Extinguishers-and-Fire-Fighting-Equipment/Automatic-Engine-Fire-Extinguishers/Sea-Fire-FM200-Automatic-Engine-Fire-Extinguisher.htm?P3429-S80-

All buses/coaches purchased from 2007 onwards have engine bay fire suppressant systems pre-installed before delivery. Older buses in the Bus Eireann fleet have been retro-fitted with these systems over the last 2 years. I don't know if the entire fleet has been fitted but most have.

KC61

Dublin Bus vehicles are also being retro-fitted with fire suppression systems.

Zoney

Tarabuses wrote: »

Surely the cost saving would depend on the number of buses to be equipped with the sprinkler system compared to the number of vehicles lost due to fire?

I think you're ignoring the prospect of people being on the bus at the time of fire! A not insignificant factor to be considered as to whether old buses should be retrofitted!