STRAPPING THE CAN

BY FIREFIGHTER GREG DEVERELL,
TRAINING OFFICER,
LAPEER(MI) FIRE AND RESCUE

Materials needed. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

Adding a shoulder strap to your 21/2-gallon water extinguisher makes it much easier to carry and keeps your hands free for other tasks. Many 21/2-gallon water extinguishers have plastic bottoms, so the strap can’t be hooked on the bottom rim. After trying a few different ways, I came up with the following method.

Wrap electrical tape around the extinguisher just above the plastic bottom four times. Attach a solid D-ring to a seven-inch worm screw clamp, place a clamp over the electrical tape, and tighten (the tape prevents damage to the extinguisher and keeps the clamp from slipping). Do not use a split D-ring; it may fail. Trim off the excess clamp metal “tail” that extends through the worm screw. For added safety, add two wraps of electrical tape over the outside of the clamp to avoid injuries from any sharp edges.

Worm screw clamp, D-ring, and snap hook with webbing.

Determine the proper length for the webbing. Using wider webbing helps distribute the weight of the extinguisher and is more comfortable. Place a snap hook at the end of the webbing, and secure it with a ladder lock buckle (photo 2).

Webbing through extinguisher hanger bracket (option 1).

Option 1: Place webbing through the fire extinguisher hanger, and secure the webbing with a ladder lock buckle (photo 3).

Second worm screw clamp at top (option 2).

Option 2: (Note: This option should be used only if there is no hanger on the extinguisher. Do not secure the strap around the neck of the extinguisher.) Using the same procedure described above, wrap electrical tape around the extinguisher approximately one inch from the top of the extinguisher, and attach a D-ring and a second clamp. Add a second snap hook; secure it with a ladder lock buckle (photo 4).

Materials List

Overall extinguisher shoulder strap setup.

The materials can be found in most home centers and hardware stores. Webbing and ladder lock buckles can be found in the camping supplies department of sporting goods stores.

You will need the following:

One-inch or wider webbing.
One or two heavy-duty solid D-rings or solid rings. Note: Do not use lightweight split D-rings! (See photo 6.)
One or two seven-inch, heavy-duty, stainless-steel worm screw clamps.
Two heavy-duty snap hooks with one-inch swivel.
Electrical tape.
Two one-inch heavy-duty ladder lock buckles.