SAE publishes fire safety guide for large off-road tires

A burning tire on an earth-moving piece of construction or mining equipment is a potential time bomb, according to Shawn Andreassi of SAE International. “The large tires often found on off-road vehicles have been known to explode during fires, throwing debris up to 900 feet – the length of three football fields,” he cautions.

Because the potential danger is considerable, SAE has published a new report to help firefighters and other first responders safely extinguish fires involving large off-road vehicles.

The guide “provides specific information to help ensure the safety of the machine operator, rescue personnel and firefighters when battling an off-road tire fire,” says Andreassi. “It also provides information on the causes of tire fires and methods to reduce the likelihood of such fires.”

The project was published with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

For more information, visit www.sae.org.