Complacency: "It's just a car fire."

Although most car fires go out relatively easily and safely, there are plenty of potential dangers involved. Toxic smoke, exploding bumper struts, air bags, seatbelt pre-tensioners, fuel spills, propane cylinders, combustible metals, and the vehicle suddenly moving are just some of the hidden dangers that may not be readily apparent when we arrive on scene. Remember that no fire is "routine" until it is out. Every fire, regardless of how benign it may seem, could be your last fire if you allow yourself to become complacent. Here are a few general guidelines regarding car fires:

• Always wear full PPE and SCBA. I used to not wear a flash hood to car fires. I thought it wasn't necessary since I wasn't going interior, until one time I directed a narrow fog stream into the passenger compartment of heavily involved car and the steam blew back on me. Steam burns suck. 
• Stage the apparatus in a safe location. Stage uphill and upwind when possible. When it's not possible to stage uphill and upwind, stage further away. If you are within reach of the bumper line on a well-involved vehicle you are probably too close. We have longer hose lines; we don't have fire-proof fire engines. Also, don't stage over or near manholes or sewer drains. Fuel leaking into the sewer system could cause an explosion; you don't want the engine parked over a manhole when that happens.
• Chock the wheels of the burning vehicle when it is safe to do so. At the very least, have a couple pieces of cribbing handy to throw in front of the tires if the vehicle starts rolling. 
• Approach from the corners of the vehicle at a 45 degree angle. Many modern vehicles have pressurized gas struts in the bumpers, hoods, and hatch-backs. When these struts fail they can fire the metal rod just like a bullet. There have been several documented cases of serious firefighter injuries due to this. In at least one case, the rod actually penetrated the firefighter's femur even though he was wearing full turnout gear.
• Use the reach of a straight stream to knock down the bulk of the fire before moving closer. Also remember to deflect the stream off the ground to extinguish fire beneath the vehicle.
• Don't stick your head in the window to extinguish the fire in the passenger compartment. Try to open the doors instead. Air bags can deploy at any time and, once again, steam burns suck. 
• Consider water supply and foam early. Most gasoline now contains ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol and mixes with water, making it more difficult to extinguish than pure gasoline. I have noticed in recent years that car fires tend to be much more stubborn and sometimes require more than one-thousand gallons of water and the use of foam to extinguish. Don't wait until you run out of water to start thinking about water supply. 
• The engineer is responsible for protecting the apparatus. If there is fuel leaking it may be necessary to pull another line to protect the apparatus from burning fuel running down the road. It may also be a good idea to have a shovel handy to build a small earth berm to deflect runoff away from the apparatus. Also make sure to check ditches for runoff. 

These are just a few basic tips for vehicle fires. Always use solid fundamentals and remember that complacency kills.