Reflection: What they don't tell you about using a Fire Extinguisher

A few months ago there was a large fire drill held on my company grounds. Apart from the regular drill of standing up from our desks and walking towards the nearest fire escape and descending to the safe zone, some lucky employees were also invited to demonstrate to the crowd how to put out a fire using a fire extinguisher. Below are some heroic pictures of my deeds.

The people in charge of the demonstrations made sure to instruct everyone clearly on how to use it. These instructions are universal already but they're worth listing down here:

1. Pull the Pin
2. Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire
3. Squeeze the Handle
4. Sweep from side to side

This is useful information, but I find it more interesting what they DON'T tell you about using a fire extinguisher. Below are some of my key takeaways aside from the items mentioned above.

1. It's lighter than it looks.

Fire extinguishers are metallic and it's a common trope in movies for protagonists to sneak up behind goons and knock them out with a fire extinguisher. The truth is they're not super heavy at all. I imagine they'd feel even lighter when a real fire breaks out because of all the adrenaline that courses through the body.

2. There is no recoil when you squeeze the handle.

It would seem that the solution inside the hull is highly pressurized, and it is to some extent, but unless you're a pile of feathers then the chances of you being blown away when you squeeze the handle are highly unlikely. The pressure coming out of the can isn't strong enough to disrupt your aim, so you would have no worries should a real fire break out.

3. It runs out surprisingly fast

Since the whole can looks like it can fit roughly a gallon and a half of liquid in it, you'd expect there's enough extinguishing agent in there for you to survive more than one fire incident, but it's actually only good for one use. That doesn't mean that one fire extinguisher isn't enough to eradicate a small fire; during the demonstration, the controlled fire we were trying to kill died out in less than 1 second of spraying the extinguishing agent. We just had the tendency to squeeze the handle longer than we should have, so we emptied the can. It only took us 5 seconds to do so.


Overall it was a pretty good experience, and I had no doubt in my mind that it will be memorable. I highly recommend others to give it a shot if the opportunity arises. Using the fire extinguisher made me realize to take tropes and theatrics involving fire extinguishers with a grain of salt. E.g. knocking someone out with one or how the extinguisher zips across all over the room when it's punctured. Obviously, the most important thing you could learn from this is how to save your life one day, should you have to deal with fire,

Technology: How to use Receipt Hog in the Philippines in 4 easy steps

Receipt Hog is an app that lets you make money by simply taking pictures of receipts. Most people in the Philippines may have never heard or even seen this app before because it's not available on either the App Store or on Google Play due to region issues. There's one app similar to Receipt Hog that's available on the market for Filipino users and that's Snapcart, but I've found Receipt Hog's payout to be much more efficient because you can get paid by taking pictures of fewer receipts.

Although officially this app isn't meant to be available for use in the Philippines, I've done some sleuthing and found ways to make the app work and to actually be paid real money. Below is a step-by-step guide to getting Receipt Hog to work in the Philippines for Android users only.

1. Download the APK file.

For your convenience, you can access the most up to date apk file here. Open the link using your Android phone so it gets installed right away.

2. Sign-up

Once it's downloaded and you open the app you'll be prompted to sign up. Follow the instructions and fill in the necessary information accordingly. When done, click submit. The next step will depend on the message that you receive.

If you get a message saying "cannot connect to the internet" even though your internet connection is fine, then it means that the apk file I gave you is not up to date anymore and that you need to uninstall the file. Next, you will need to use a VPN app to access the US play store to download Receipt Hog. There are several VPN apps that could work, but if I had to recommend one I would recommend the app called "FREE VPN".

If you get a message saying "sorry, receipt hog is not available in your country" then that is perfectly fine and we can move on to the next step.

3. Download a Fake GPS App.

To get Receipt Hog to work, then you'll need to download a Fake GPS App. Much like the VPN app, several apps available on the market can easily do the job, but if I had to recommend one, I would choose "Fake GPS Go". You'll need to set your coordinates to the United States.

4. Sign-up again

Try signing up again. It should work this time around.

Once you've successfully signed up, you can start hoarding and taking pictures of receipts. To be paid in cash, however, you'll need a Paypal account for Receipt Hog to send the money to. If you have one already, then all you have to do is link it to Receipt Hog and you're set. If you don't have one yet, then that's a story for another day. You can still start taking pictures of receipts already.

Happy Receipt Hogging!

Receiving $5 from Receipt Hog on my Paypal

Welcome to Escapist Adventures!

Hi there, how are you doing?

I'm Timothy John, I live in the Philippines, I'm 23 years old, and I'm working. This is my blog Escapist Adventures, where I write about the experiences I've encountered that I feel like are worth writing about. This covers a wide array of items but all of them can be boiled down into six categories: Travel, Food, Fitness, Entertainment, Reflection, and Technology. Maybe you enjoy the same things that I do, or maybe my writings can help you out in what it is you're dealing with right now. Why don't we go through it together?

Prior to this blog, I used to write on another blog as Onion Syrup. I think that it's also worth mentioning -- as it was a big part of my online history -- I was an active user of the famous KnowYourMeme website as a site writer/moderator and forum member with the same username: Onion Syrup. I've written several articles of well-known memes such as Draw the Squad, I Haven't Heard That Name in Years, and Graphic Design is My Passion, which has gained about 87,000 views, 98,000 views, and 150,000 views, respectively.

Cheers,

Tim