Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Koneski
The pumping gas issue is over rated. Have you ever actually seen a news story about someone blowing up while pumping gas? I never have. Urban legends don't count. Same for using a cell phone while pumping gas, totally BS. As for static electricity sparking powder while reloading, wouldn't be too concerned about that either. Static might cause some powder to cling in a press, but out of all the shells I've reloaded and all the shells all my buddies have reloaded, we've never had an explosion, and if there was one, Big Bro and their lap-dog media would be all over it.
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Well Mike I agree with some of that…such as starting a fire with a cell phone while pumping gas (really rare); and yes the media will certainly be all over us if one of use causes a fire or explosion at the loading bench. But I will respectfully disagree with some of your other observations. After 30 years in the fire service, yes I’ve seen fires at gas pumps and they too are very rare. Fires from fueling lawnmowers, snow blowers, boats, soaking motorcycle parts in a pan of gasoline in your apartment all can have nasty consequences. Again, all relatively “rare”. But spending a few weeks in a burn unit I’m thinking is not fun.
It's the old risk assessment measuring probability against consequence. I had a career because of low probability/high consequence catastrophes. Not all of them caused by dumb people. Just something someone had done a thousand times but something changed the equation on that fateful day such as having an ignition source too near the flammable liquid.
There are small things we can all build into our habits to reduce the risk. As an example, after reading the incredibly helpful thread on this forum about a burst barrel on a Parker injuring one of our members last year, I now always, always check to make sure the bore is clear before firing a round at the skeet range or in the field. A simple new habit even though a burst barrel is a really low likelihood. And I’m still grateful to the member for sharing that story and all of the really helpful thoughts on the matter from other members on the forum.