RV Fire Safety: Prevention and Tips

When you’re planning for an upcoming RV camping trip fire safety might be the last thing on your mind. Between planning the route, making campground reservations, and packing all the supplies you need it’s easy to see how preparing for an emergency might fall down on the list.

But having a plan in place and knowing how to prevent the causes of fires in the first place can save the lives of your family as well as nearby campers.

The most common hazards are often easily overlooked like electrical shorts, faulty wiring, or failing to have and test a smoke alarm. RV fires are frequently caused by electrical shorts or wiring system problems which means they usually start from the part of your rig with electrical components like the refrigerator, generator, and A/C. So how do you avoid an RV electrical fire?

• RV Smoke Detector: It’s important to equip your rig with a smoke alarm that has both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors which will alert you if there’s an electrical fire. It’s also important to keep you RV serviced on a regular basis which will help you to locate wiring problems before they result in a fire.
• Certify Your Propane Systems: Have your propane systems inspected and certified every year. Have your propane systems inspected and certified every year. While propane is easy to use, it is also one of the deadliest features in a rig. Be sure to shut the propane off before moving your rig.
• Spontaneous Combustion can occur in damp charcoal. Before you travel buy fresh charcoal, keep it dry and stored in a covered metal container.

Fire Safety

Understanding the causes of RV fires is an important step for RV fire safety especially for when you go camping. Here’s a short checklist of some fire safety preparations to make before your next road trip.

• Avoid leaving open flame fires unattended like your stove or a candle.
• Equip your RV with fire safety material like a dual sensor smoke alarm and up to date fire extinguisher. The National Park Service recommends having 3 fire extinguishers- one for the kitchen, bedroom, and one stored on the outside.
• Keep a lightweight emergency kit bag on board with thermal blankets and basic medical supplies along with a fireproof case for very important documents.
• Make sure all your fellow campers and RVers know where the emergency exit points are and how to use them along with the location of the fire extinguisher and how to use it.
• Ensure the RVs electrical components are up to date and serviced regularly.
• Keep combustibles like paper towels and curtains far from the stove.
• Keep campsite fire sources such as fire rings, tiki torches and lanterns far away from all vehicles.
• Don’t use extension cords in RVs unless they are heavy-duty and make sure you don’t run it under the carpet or door mat.

By equipping and preparing yourself you can prevent damage and harm from coming to yourself, your fellow campers and your RV. If you have any RV related camping questions or concerns, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to message us on our social media platforms and join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.