Fuel safety: Pay attention at the pump

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stacey Haga
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AFB, Fla. --  In June, a car burst into flames destroying 10 other vehicles at the Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., hospital. What happened? Was it a bomb? 

No, the owner of the vehicle had two five-gallon containers of gasoline in the trunk. 

"The Ft. Leonard Wood Fire Department suspects the fire most likely started when an electrical spark from the tail or brake light ignited fumes that accumulated in the hot enclosed trunk," said Mike Myers, Army and Air Force Exchange Service health and safety manager. "It was a miracle no one was fatally injured." 

This incident has sparked AAFES to re-emphasize the safety precautions everyone should practice when handling gasoline, whether they are storing or pumping it. 

"Most everyone handles, stores or uses gasoline nearly everyday without giving thought as to how dangerous it is," said Ken Jolley, 325th Fighter Wing ground safety manager and chief of occupational safety. "Gasoline can be dangerous if it's not treated with respect." 

The American Petroleum Institute recommends the following precautions for storing and transporting gasoline: 

· Store gas at room temperature and away from potential heat sources such as the sun. 

· Handle gasoline outdoors, or in ventilated areas. 

Mr. Myers also recommends keeping gasoline containers tightly closed and not storing them in a vehicle's trunk for a prolonged period of time. 

"Gasoline and other fuels are extremely dangerous and we must exercise great care when using, transporting or storing them," he said. 

Another hazard at the pump is static electricity. 

· Turn off any auxiliary sources of ignition such as cell phones. 

· Do not smoke, light matches or lighters at the pump or when handling gasoline. 

· When dispensing gasoline into a container, use only approved portable containers. Place them on the ground to avoid a possible static electricity ignition of fuel vapors. Never fill containers inside a vehicle or its trunk, the bed of a pickup truck or the floor of a trailer. 

· When filling a portable container, manually control the nozzle valve throughout the filling process. 

· Fill a container no more than 95 percent full to allow for expansion. 

Many efforts are made at the 269 AAFES gas stations worldwide to provide gas to customers in a safe manner. It is up to the approximate 11.6 million customers to treat gasoline with respect and heed all warnings posted at the pump. 

"Gasoline and respect, we all need to have both," said Mr. Jolley.

(Information from an AAFES news release was used in this article.)