SKAGGS’
FIRE BOTTLE SYSTEM RE-DEFINED SAFETY STANDARDS
"Only fools race without Fire
Bottles," the letter said. It’s a strong testimonial from one of the
legions of racers who have found themselves in the hot seat—literally—at some
point in their racing careers. They’re all indebted to Modoc’s
Don Skaggs for his invention and for their escapes.
The invention and subsequent marketing
of Skaggs’ development – The Fire Bottle System – has re-defined safety
standards at every level of racing. It’s also created a financial windfall for
Skaggs.
"Several people have written
letters and told about how it’s saved their lives," Skaggs said of his
system.
"The
last time (Dale) Earnhart won (the Winston Cup
championship), he thanked Fire Bottle at the banquet.
When he flipped several times at
Specifically, the Fire Bottle System is
an on-board fire suppression system designed for most
types of race cars. It’s mounted in the car with tubing and nozzles pointed at
the driver. In the event of an on-board fire, the driver pulls a T-handle that
immediately releases a chemical called halon. The
fire is extinguished quicker than conventional emergency personnel could reach
the car.
"Halon is a liquid that turns into a gas," Skaggs
explained. "It’s the same product that’s used in aviation and by NASA. We
were looking for something that could put a fire out, but that wouldn’t harm a
driver if it was inhaled."
It’s
been a lot of years with a lot of left turns for Skaggs, now 61, since he
became involved with racing as a 16 year old..
"I
bought a ’31 Ford sedan that was already set up for racing and entered at what
we called the Richmond Midget Stadium (long since vanished from the city’s far
west side)," Skaggs recalled "I won the first race I was in. It paid
$10.
That
was all it took for Skaggs to become fully involved. Throughout the 1950’s,
Skaggs raced stock cars at regional venues like Eldora,
"My
daughter married into a family that sold and serviced fire extinguishers. I
guess that’s how I started thinking about it," Skaggs said. "I had
experience in tool and die work and designed valving
at NATCO and at Ahaus Tool. We tinkered with it for a
while, then we took it to a trade show in the cattle barn (at the Indiana State
Fairgrounds) in
He
did. Fifteen years later, Safety Systems in Modoc is the lone manufacturer of
the Fire Bottle System. Skaggs has 300+ dealers around the country. Revenues in
recent years have exceeded all expectations and continue to grow.
"We’re
the number one supplier of extinguishing systems in race cars," Skaggs
continued. "It’s in every level of racing." Marketing and managing
the sales of the system has become a full-time job for four people, including
Skaggs’ wife Marcia and son, Donald Jr.
Skaggs
still knows his way around a track. He races an average of two nights per week
from April to September in a series sponsored by Jasper Engine and Transmission.
This
summer, He’ll travel to
"I
set it off at
Still,
stories of Skaggs invention continue to spread like – well – wildfire.
"I
had a guy in Texas racing in a late model class," Skaggs said, "They
had a big pile-up right in front of the grandstand with three cars on fire.
Only one guy had the system. He set off his fire bottle. Maybe the wind was
just right that night, but it put out the fire in all three cars. I sold a few
systems that night."
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