The hands of millions of Massachusetts drivers are about to experience their warmest winter in a generation, and it has nothing to do with climate change — it's thanks to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Safety.
Beginning January 1, hold-open clips (those notches on the nozzle that keep the gas flowing, without you squeezing the trigger, while you fill up) will be allowed on self-serve gas pumps in the Bay State for the first time.
State Fire Marshall Stephen Coan said two concerns had driven the state's cautious approach to the clips. One was the potential for dangerous, messy gas spills in the event of malfunction. The other was the fear that drivers would set the pump a-pumpin', hop back in their car, get all charged up with static electricity climbing in and out, and then unwittingly spark a fire when they once again touched the nozzle. If that sounds a little far-fetched, it can happen, as this video demonstrates.
Massachusetts is the only state in America where hold-open clips are banned, though a handful of cities and towns across the country have also put the kibosh on them. They've been outlawed here since self-serve gas pumps were given the go-ahead back in the 1970s. But Coan says that advances in pump technology, and decades of data from the 49 other states where hold open clips are allowed, have convinced the folks at the Fire Safety Department that it's time to lift the ban.
"The [fire safety department] board unanimously felt that this was the right thing to do, and join the other 49 states in allowing the clips," Coan said.
The move is part of a larger, comprehensive overhaul of the state fire code. Beginning January 1, Massachusetts moves away from a home-grown code, and adopts a version of the National Fire Protection Association code. Nearly half the states in America have adopted all or part of the NFPA's code, according to Coan.
For a guy whose life has been all about safety and fire prevention, this particular change didn't come easy.
"My two kids that are in their early 30s, they knew how to stop, drop, and roll before they could say mommy," he said.
In fact, Coan was the last board member to relent and agree the time was right to give the clips the go-ahead. And while he ultimately voted to lift the ban, he does still have some concerns — from people leaving the pump to get coffee in the convenience store to drivers hopping back into their car and turning it on while filling up.
"It's important that as we do this that people have due diligence and they realize that filling up of gasoline in a vehicle needs to be observed, and they need to stay there," he said.
"Staying there" should be a whole lot more pleasant for drivers this winter, with their hands snugly secured in their coat pockets.
We dug into this story thanks to a question from listener Brad Schwarzenbach. Do you have a question for the Curiosity Desk? Email us: curiositydesk@wgbh.org.
