Sharon's Soapbox - Fuelling the Fire
May 2004

The MPG file showed a woman refuelling her car. She set the pump up, locked the handle and then got into the car, moving around a bit. When she got out and reached for the nozzle a flash illuminated the picture as flames erupted from the mouth of the tank.

This video came to me under the pretence that the refuelling fire was associated with cell phone use. The accompanying email text warned of the dangers of cell phone use while refuelling. Yet there was no cell phone ever present in the scene, certainly not while she was in the proximity of the gas tank.

My immediate reaction was that the flash fire was caused by a static charge created by the movement of the woman getting in and out of the car. We’ve all had the experience of shuffling across the carpet only to zap some unsuspecting sibling (or co-worker). Creating static is as simple as moving two pieces of fabric against each other.

Around the same time I got a chain email piece of propaganda on the dangers of cell phones and static while refuelling. The statements were attributed to Bob Renkes of the Petroleum Equipment Institute. The statements struck me as inflammatory (pardon the pun), implying that refuelling fires were associated with women because they were more likely to get in and out of a vehicle. The email said to not use cell phones during refuelling, but with no explanation of why.

A little bit of googling with the key words “static refuelling fires” quickly directed me to some of the fraud sites. It seems that Mr. Renkes did actually write a summary document on the issue of fires during the refuelling process. But, many of the statements that were attributed to him bore little resemblance to his original text. Some of the websites illuminating the contents of the aforementioned email included:

http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp

http://www.hoaxinfo.com/gaspumps.htm

So is there a concern? From what I have read, you are about as likely to win the BIG lottery and be hit by lightening as to experience a refuelling fire. Even using the 150 fires cited in the propaganda email – the risk is very low compared to the volume of gas pumped annually and the number of visits to gas stations. Like many of the “epidemics” of late, the spread of information through the internet and emails can make the situation seem more dire than it really is.

But that doesn’t mean that there is no risk. Cell phones are electronic devices and static is created by movement in and around the vehicle. And, gasoline is highly volatile. Common sense says to take reasonable precautions. For advice, I went to some reputable web sites – the Petroleum Equipment Institute and some petroleum companies (the most useful of which was Chevron). To summarize:

• Stay outside the vehicle while refuelling. Canadian gas stations have eliminated the locking mechanism that allowed you to walk away, so you now have to keep your hand on the pump grip. This will keep you grounded so static cannot build up.
• If you have to go inside the vehicle, make sure you touch a metal part of the car well away from the nozzle to dissipate the static.
• Leave your cell phone in the vehicle. The jury is still out on whether cell phones cause fires. Chevron also included PDA’s and electronic games in their list of items to leave in the vehicle.

Smoking was banned at gas pumps years ago because of the issue of flash fires from the fumes released during refuelling. For the same reason, it is also law that the vehicle be turned off during refuelling. It only takes a few instances in this environment of instant information for legislators to take a serious look at the risks. But, please, don’t wait for legislation before you take responsibility for your safety. Keep your hand on the nozzle and leave your cell phone in the car.

Sharon

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