Fire Extinguisher Advice

We have put some useful information about extinguishers together for your help you.

What you need

This depends on the size and the complexity of your building and the processes involved their. At the very minimum you need;

Multi-story - On each story there should be at least 2 extinguishers with a minimum fire rating of 26A

Single occupancy – the above applies but if the upper floors are less then 100m square then the minimum rating for the upper floors would be 13A.

Multiple occupancy – as each floor could be operated by different companies then the minimum for each floor should be 26A

You should also not travel more than 30 metres to find an extinguisher.

Fire ratings are shown on each extinguisher and indicate the size and type of fire an extinguisher can put out under test conditions. The size of fire is identified by a number, the larger the number the larger the fire it can extinguish. The letter indicates which fire class’ the extinguisher can safely deal with under test conditions i.e. 13A.
Fire Extinguisher Rating - 9Ltr Foam 13A and 183B

The most common types of extinguisher and their best use

Before you can choose the correct extinguisher to use you need to know what type of fire each extinguisher is capable of extinguishing. This is done with the aid of the fire classes. Fire is a complicated entity and requires several different methods to extinguish it successfully. To help, fires have been divided into six different categories known as “the fire classes.”

Class A Pictogram

CLASS A
These are fires normally of an organic nature.
Furniture, wood, textiles are all Class A and their tell tale sign is glowing white embers in the heart of the fire, just like a camp fire. The pictogram for a Class A fire is as below.

Class B Pictogram

CLASS B
These are fires involving liquids or liquefiable solids
These could be fuel, waxes, solvents, plastics etc. The pictogram for a Class B fire is also below.

Class C Pictogram

CLASS C
These are fires involving gases or liquefiable gasses
Butane, propane and methane are the most common types. The pictogram for a Class C fire is as below.

Class D Pictogram

CLASS D
These are fires involving metals. The pictogram for a Class D fire is as below.

Electrical Pictogram

ELECTRICAL
Fires involving electricity. The pictogram for an electrical fire is as below.

Class F Pictogram

CLASS F
Fire involving cooking oils. The pictogram for a Class F fire is as below.

Types of Extinguisher

Now you understand the different classes of fires you can decide the best extinguisher to use. In most workplaces water extinguishers will be fine but they are only safe to use on Class A fires, so it is always worth while accompanying them with a Co2 extinguisher which is excellent for electrical fires, or better still using a Dry Powder extinguisher which can be used safely on Class A,B,C and Electrical. Below is a more in depth look at the different types of extinguisher and their best use.

	Water The backbone of the extinguisher industry, cheap and very effective on Class A fires, it is the minimum legal requirement but is limited as it is only effective on one fire class. It must NEVER be used on any live electrical fire, some extinguishers are electrically rated meaning they can be used near electric but we feel this is a little confusing and water and electricity should always kept apart. It must also NEVER be used on Class B fires this is extremely dangerous as the water hits the hot fat and instantly turns to steam forcing the fat upwards which in turn can create large fire balls. PROS Cheap Easy to maintain Meets the legal minimum requirement CONS Only use for Class A fires Dangerous in the presence of electricity Dangerous on Class B fires
	Foam Another favourite and the extinguisher of choice if you have a Class B risk, you can use these instead of a water extinguisher. Still can’t be used on or near electrical fires but just the thing for any Class B fire risk. PROS Use on both Class A and B fires CONS Dangerous in the presence of electricity
	Dry powder This is our favourite extinguisher should be used more often but seldom is, it combines all the good from all the others and provides it in one simple package. This can be used on not only Class A, B and C fires but also on electrical. PROS The only extinguisher you will ever need CONS More expensive to buy and service Can be quite messy as it’s a powder (but not as messy as a fire)
	Co2 Great for electrical fires but not much else although they are sold with Class B on them we would always advise against using these on Class B fires for this reason. Unless you have received in depth practical training with extinguishers these highly pressurised extinguishers have a small range enticing you extremely close to the fire, you may be tempted to point the nozzle at the fire causing it to spray up at you. Not a good idea, the safer choice for Class B would be a fire blanket, foam, dry powder, or wet chemical. PROS Excellent with electrical fires Doesn’t require a lot of maintenance CONS Not too good at anything else Doesn’t last long and very limited range
	Wet chemical A new extinguisher in the world of fire safety designed specifically to extinguish fires in large industrial fat fryers and does the job very well. A normal Class B extinguisher has a tendency to be burnt off by the extreme heat of a fat fryer fire. PROS Excellent on Class F fires Can also be used on Class A CONS Very expensive Not to be used on electrical fires
	Fire blanket Another favourite, this is simplicity personified, it’s a BLANKET, it may not extinguish every fire but it can be safely used on all the fire classes in some way shape or form. Its main purpose is to extinguish small chip pan fires but you could also use it to aid escape by shielding yourself from the fire, use it to place over a fire to reduce the spread and allow time for the fire brigade to arrive, use it to extinguish someone who has caught fire and the icing on the cake its almost maintenance free, what more do you want. PROS Low maintenance Cheap Versatile Simple to use CONS Not fire rated like the extinguishers so can only compliment your current arrangement
	Hose reel In essence a Class A extinguisher plumbed into the mains, more expensive to buy more expensive to maintain, harder to use. Our advice with hose reels is quite simple; leave them alone. We feel the level of skill required to operate these successfully is greater than the average employee. Special training should be carried out prior to using these. They are 2 person operation and lead to other problems but in the right hands can be very successful. PROS If well trained can be very useful CONS All the above fore mentioned

Maintaining them

Once you have them they need regular maintenance to ensure they not only work but you remain the right side of the law. This can be a costly business and great care should be taken in choosing a reputable company to carry out your maintenance.

What should you be looking for? We would always recommend a set fee for the servicing with no extras, make sure when looking for a servicing company you find out exactly how much each extinguisher will cost to maintain, this includes all call out fees and parts. If they can’t answer this quickly and honestly move along to the next company.
Don’t get tied in, lots of servicing companies use excessive tie in periods to keep you trapped with the bad and costly service you are receiving, if the company uses contracts that tie you in again move along to the next company. If you are unhappy with the service you receive you should have the right to walk away.

Finally, extinguishers are one of the best forms of fire protection and with the right training in their use can save not only your company in the event of a fire but could also save the lives of your employees. But in the hands of untrained inexperienced people can be lethal. Not only is it your responsibility to have extinguishers at your premises, it is your responsibility to ensure everyone knows exactly what actions to take in the event of a fire. Extinguishers are only as good as the people using them.