Fire Extinguishers: A Detailed Guide Outlining Everything You Need To Know.
Aug 23 2023 10:52AM
Fire extinguishers are vital for fire safety, but you need to choose the right ones for your business or property. Different types of fire extinguishers are suitable for different types of fire. You also need to maintain and inspect your fire extinguishers regularly. Here is some information to help you with fire extinguishers.
When Do You Need Fire Extinguishers?
If you have non-domestic or multi-occupied premises, you probably need fire extinguishers. This includes businesses, HMOs, and converted flats. You also need to make sure that the people on the premises know how to use fire extinguishers safely in case of an emergency. You don’t have to be an expert, but you should know which fire extinguisher to use for each situation. You should also take extinguisher maintenance seriously and consider hiring a fire extinguisher maintenance company.
Types Of Fire Extinguisher
There are different types of fire extinguishers, which are designed for different classes of fire. Some extinguishers can be used on more than one type of fire, such as a Water Mist extinguisher. However, it is often better to use the specific equipment for each fire class.
To make it easy for everyone to identify different extinguishers, they have different coloured labels.
Class A fires are the most common, involving solid materials like wood and paper. You can use Water (red label), Foam (cream label), or Water Mist fire extinguishers for these.
Class B fires involve flammable liquids and are best fought with a Foam (cream label) fire extinguisher, but you can also use a Water Mist extinguisher.
Class C fires are caused by gasses and are best tackled by using a Powder (blue label) fire extinguisher. Again, you can also use a Water Mist extinguisher on these fires.
Class D fires are caused by flammable metals and require special powder extinguishers (also a blue label). These are not the same as regular powder extinguishers.
Class F fires are caused by fats and fatty oils, such as cooking oil, and can only be put out with Wet Chemical (yellow label) or Water Mist fire extinguishers.
Electrical fires are also quite common and involve electrical equipment. They are best dealt with using a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) (black label) extinguisher. Water Mist and some Foam extinguishers can also be used on electrical fires but must show the 35kVA electrical safety symbol.