People have been realizing that the locks on gas pumps are being removed from at gas stations. Most gas stations now require people to stand and hold the trigger to pump their own gas. This is because of the chance of a static shock fire and spraying of gas at the station.

            Documents have shown that fires have started from the static energy when people go back into their cars after applying the pump lock to the trigger then taking out the pump from the car. The static energy is caused from the rubbing of clothes, leather or cloth seats against clothes or skin. When contact is made, the gas pump nozzle can burst into a flame from the static shock of the person’s hand. The fire could calm down a bit, but most continue to burn inside the gas tank and the end of the nozzle.

            “We got a letter from the fire marshal, telling us we had to have the locks taken off and that they were hazardous. We don’t do it ourselves though, someone comes to remove them,” said clerk, Dashé Hardar, at Rowdy Randy’s Gas Station on Elm St. and Lincoln Way.

            Gas locks are being removed from the pumps also because of the incident of gas pumps being locked and spraying people’s cars, faces, and the station itself. In one incident, one man had to be rushed to the hospital because of gas in his eyes and consumption of gas in his lungs.

             “They flood the whole area. One will be locked and put back into the holder; the next person will come along and pull out the handle and it’ll be spraying everywhere,” stated Hardar.

              The fire marshal’s letter was sent to Rowdy Randy’s and to about 133 other local gas stations explaining the danger of having the locks on the nozzle. They are a fire risk, a poison hazard to people and should be removed, though people pumping gas think differently.

             “It’s so much easier when it’s automatic,” states Ashley Noder, a junior at Placer High. “It just makes it more time consuming.”

              Rowdy Randy’s sales have been decreasing because of the known gas lock removal. Many people are aware of the locks not being there, so people choose to go to different stations to pump gas. When people do go to stations without locks, it’s more likely for people to not put as much money in as they would at one with locks because of the fact they have to hold it for themselves.

            Locks on gas pumps are handy and effortless but also come with hazards that people wouldn’t really think of. Gas leaking, spraying, and flooding is an issue, but with the chance of a static fire makes a real problem.