This just popped into my head for some reason, and I’m not being too serious about it but as a question of morals I’m interested.

A recent program on how we use animals showed the use of cow bone extract in fire extinguishers. So, as a strict vegan, would you rather see your property burn or have an animal-based extinguisher used to put it out?

Seems like a no-brainer, but hard to put an answer on it as a non-vegan, so I guess its a question of just how strict your vegan morals are vs whats going up in flames. Where would you draw the line? Risk to human health / life, treasured posessions, or just anything…

Just use water

Well yeah, clearly… but in the absence of…

I’d smother the flames by throwing the cat on 🙂

Co2

You’d probably need a few cats, just to be sure.

Co2

😯 …think of the ozone layer!!!

I went to an art gallery in Rotterdam a few years ago that had an exhibition showing all the products made from Pigs. It was quite a surprise to see all the items including bullets and shampoo!

My guess is that vegans don’t spend their days desperately trying to find things that have animals in them so they can avoid them like the plague.

They will for the most part attempt to eschue animals products as much as they can. If something slips in then so be it but they’re doing as much as they can for their beliefs.

I’d expect that the obvious solution would be to buy an extinguisher that doesn’t use animal products.

Some shoes contain leather, that doesn’t mean all the vegans walk around barefoot.

Cougar – Member

I’d expect that the obvious solution would be to buy an extinguisher that doesn’t use animal products.

What he says ^

But also note that:

VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose

Letting a building burn down and potentially killing other animals (humans, pets, invertebrates etc) when you could just pick up a fire extinguisher would also seem a little silly, and not really practical.

Avoiding leather footwear is easy, maybe avoiding fire extinguishers not so…..but ultimately (wherever you chose to draw the line) doing what you can is better than doing nothing at all.

I go by the “as far as possible” bit.
If I was buying a fire extinguisher, I’d do a bit of research and avoid the cow ones.
If I needed a fire extinguisher urgently, I’d grab the nearest one and use it.

Cow hooves are a source of keratin, which is used to fight fires in aviation fuel. Most domestic extinguishers are either water, CO2 or foam, so I think the vegans who don’t work in airport fire and rescue are probably OK.

AFAIK, vegans really love it when omnivores play the lets-find-something-with-a-connection-to-animals-that-is-hard-not-to-use game. They just love us trying to outfox them with our let-a-human-live-or-cause-an-animal-die dilemmas.

Not as easy as you’d think to be a vegan cyclist. Some tyres contain animal ‘stuff’

“what tyres for veganism….?”

😉

AFAIK, vegans really love it when omnivores play the lets-find-something-with-a-connection-to-animals-that-is-hard-not-to-use game. They just love us trying to outfox them with our let-a-human-live-or-cause-an-animal-die dilemmas.

Yeah. It’s up there with “but whyyyyyyy??!!”

outfox

MURDERER!

MURDERER!

Well spotted. 😛

Protein foam extinguishers are used for fuel fires so it highly unlikely you’d find one in a domestic setting or even the fire service using one to put out a house fire. If the vegan happened to be in a burning plane I’m pretty sure they’d find a way of reconciling their ethics with the emergency services use of foam to put the fire out.

It’s not a religion, you can’t be excommunicated for putting out a fire with a cow. The cow in the extinguisher is not killed to put in there, it’s a bi product of the meat and dairy industry. It’s already dead due to the decision of people to consume meat and dairy products. Given that it has been killed to meet that demand far better that all the by- products are also used. Stop eating meat and dairy and many of these things will disappear out of products as they cease to be cheap by-products.

you can’t be excommunicated for putting out a fire with a cow

You’d attract quite a plate-bearing crowd if you did.

If I was buying a fire extinguisher, I’d do a bit of research and avoid the cow ones.

Do you use inner tubes?

I’ve tried them, but they ended up catching fire themselves and making things worse.

Can I start some meat eater ones?

Why wont a meat eater eat rats?
whats wrong with eating goats eyes? Why the hypocrisy
Why dont you eat ALL the animal?
Cat curry anyone?
Roadkill…well why wouldn’t you
Live chicken could you kill it?
Etc

re the OP Never given it a moments thought and now it has been brought to my attention i fall into the mleh camp.

I was offered some roadkill stew once – I turned it down but later realised that it must be one of the more ethical ways of eating meat.
I’ve recently stopped eating almost all meat, I have fish now and then and sometimes a guilty relapse with a piece of chicken, but even as a carnivore I could never ethically justify eating meat. It’s bad for the planet, not great for the eater and lousy for the animal. Tastes beautiful, I admit, but there’s something sweet about being able to look a calf in the eye and knowing no-one will be cutting its throat or putting a bolt gun to its head in my name. Problem is, you do a little and everyone’s quick to point out the “hypocrisy” or your failings (leather shoes, fire extinguishers, et al), but I’m quite proud to know that not much has died over the past eighteen months to keep me fed.

i’m firmly in the “avoid animal products to the best of your ability” camp.

added to that though, i’d also say that i don’t care what anyone else does or doesn’t do and don’t really see why anyone should care what I choose to consume/use (or not, as the case may be).