On the highway, the driver in front of Sheldon Holland didn't know her car was on fire.
The moment Sheldon saw sparks flying from beneath the old sedan, he recognized the danger. He knew he had to get the other driver’s attention fast, while there was still time to get her out safely.
Sheldon is Commander of SAR OPS, a 100% volunteer, nonprofit search-and-rescue team that handles rope rescue, high-angle rescue, vehicle-over-the-side calls, evacuations, missing hikers, and other emergencies requiring specialized skills and equipment.
But at that moment on the highway, he was off duty.
“I wasn’t in my marked vehicle, so effectively I’m just a motorist honking to get her attention, trying to get her to pull over,” he said. “Terrified the hell out of her.”
When the 68-year-old schoolteacher finally stopped, Sheldon pulled over ahead of her, grabbed his fire extinguisher, and ran back toward the burning car.
“At that point, I’ve got a fire extinguisher in my hand,” he said. “I’m spraying her door and the undercarriage. I yanked the door open and told her, you’ve got to get out. Now.”
The extinguisher knocked the flames back long enough for Sheldon to get her away from the vehicle.
“I scooped her up, ran back to my car, put her in my passenger seat, called it in, and sat there and talked to her as her car went up,” he said.
For Sheldon, the lesson is bigger than one vehicle fire. It’s about awareness, preparedness, and knowing how to respond in the first few minutes of an emergency.
“Here’s an incident where you have someone driving and they’re not paying attention to their own car,” he said. “It took way longer to get her to pull over than it should have.”
His advice to everyone is to expand your awareness. Pay attention to your vehicle, the vehicles around you, and the situation developing ahead of you.
“No matter who you are, even if you’re already a certified rescuer, you need to expand your awareness to a larger footprint than it was yesterday,” he said. “Your awareness is going to be what saves you.”
That doesn’t mean drivers should take unnecessary risks. If you come across a vehicle fire, roadside fire, or brush fire, the first step is to call 911.
“You may be the first one calling in the alarm,” Sheldon said.
You might also be the only one who can act before the situation gets worse.
Safety comes first. Keep people clear. Watch the wind and smoke. Don’t put yourself in a place where firefighters or rescue crews will have to save you, too.
“Without the ability to keep yourself safe, you become a liability,” he said.
But with the proper mindset and preparation, you may be able to make a critical difference before professional help arrives.
Sheldon is blunt about that point.
“I think every freaking vehicle should have a fire extinguisher in it,” he said.
He also warns that an extinguisher rolling around loose in the back of a vehicle can become a hazard. It needs to be securely mounted and easy to reach.
“One of the things that I love about H3R is their seat mounting brackets,” he said. “My extinguisher is mounted directly on my driver’s seat. It’s got the quick release. The fact that that’s right within reach is wonderful.”
SAR OPS carries H3R clean agent extinguishers in its vehicles because their rigs carry tens of thousands of dollars in emergency-response equipment, and a clean agent extinguisher can fight a fire without leaving powder residue behind.
"Imagine if you put out a radiator fire, and all you have to do is replace your radiator, and you don't lose your entire car. You've just benefited," he said. "People don't realize you can mitigate tragedy and loss by being smart and prepared."
Sheldon also keeps a larger dry chemical extinguisher mounted in the back of the rig, giving him more capacity when he pulls up to a scene and has time to grab additional equipment.
“If it’s mounted correctly, if it’s accessible, you can do amazing things in preparedness,” he said.
The best emergency gear is the gear you hope you never have to use. But if the moment comes where you need an extinguisher, it needs to be ready.
Because when a fire starts, help may be on the way, but the first few minutes could depend entirely on you.
H3R is proud to support SAR OPS and the volunteers behind this search-and-rescue team. To learn more about their mission and help support their rescue vehicles, gear, and training, visit SAROPS.org.
"Because it can happen to you, be prepared. Then hope that it never does."
— Sheldon Holland, Commander, SAR OPS
Be Ready Before Rescue Arrives
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