What actions should you take if you smell fuel fumes inside a cabin?

• A. Turn off ventilation if possible, open vents to ventilate, move to fresh air, locate source, and extinguish any ignition sources; evacuate if necessary.
• B. Open vents to ventilate, then turn on ventilation.
• C. Ignore the fumes and ventilate with the engine running.
• D. Start the engine to test for fumes.

Answer: (A)

When you smell fuel fumes inside a cabin, treat it as a potential ignition and exposure hazard. The priority is to reduce the chance of ignition, dilute the vapors with fresh outside air, and get to safety if needed. So you want to shut off any possible ignition sources and, if safe, cut off the fuel supply to isolate the leak. Then ventilate to bring in fresh air and move away from the source, keeping clear of flames or sparks. If you can locate the source safely, address it or have help to do so, and extinguish any ignition sources that could ignite vapors. If the fumes are strong, if you can’t identify the source, or if there are signs of a fire, evacuate to outside air immediately. Running the engine or electrical equipment can create sparks, and testing for fumes by starting the engine or using the wrong ventilation can spread vapors, so those actions are not appropriate.