Putting out that fire

We receive all manner of accessories and gadgets for test but much of this assortment is junk and is duly scrapped. Occasionally something more than usually worthwhile turns up, like those very reliable Bardie torches, those accurate Kienzle car clocks, and other accessories which we try to accord the praise they deserve. In this category is the Simoniz Hi-speed fire extinguisher. Every car should carry a fire extinguisher and we cannot understand why the Home Secretary does not make them compulsory in every home. But the snag with an extinguisher for the car is that it is often heavy, costly, difficult to fit, and sometimes none too easy to use. The new Simoniz extinguisher is a simple pressurised canister, with a press button on the top that should be simple for a woman or even a child to use in time of panic, and which emits I.C.I.’s latest fire-quenching fluid, BCF, in a 50-m.ph. jet. Instead of emptying itself completely once it is operated, the jet from the Simoniz extinguisher can be controlled, just like that from a paint-spray. The makers claim that, compact as the container is, it holds sufficient fluid to put out two average size car fires and two fires in a TV set. The fumes are non-poisonous, the fluid is safe for electrical fires and is effective down to —20 deg. C. Complete With mounting bracket (two screws) and a safety seal on the spray tip to prove it hasn’t been used, this Simoniz fire extinguisher costs a modest 27s. 6d. Simoniz sensibly state that no fire extinguisher of this size can be totally effective on curtains, carpets and floorboards on which fire has taken a hold. But as a safeguard in car and home this simple, inexpensive product is just the job.