Fire Safety

5 Types of Fire Safety Extinguishers that You Should Know About

The most common fire safety measure is placing a fire extinguisher in certain areas, incase there is fire. In other words, every establishment should have one. The question now is “Should a person buy the first fire extinguisher he sees in the store?” definitely not. Looking for a suitable fire extinguisher can be difficult, because there are different fire extinguishers available in the market. One clue is to identify the type of place where the fire extinguisher will be placed.

Fire extinguishers are especially made to subdue raging fires caused by certain materials. Flames grow big due to the material it feeds on; so it is best to know what materials are more common in a particular place for effective use of fire extinguishers. It is not enough to have one. Knowing which one to purchase is a good Fire prevention measure because come the time that it will be used, it is certain that the fire extinguisher will definitely be able to subdue the fire and prevent it from spreading. Here are the types of fire extinguishers that you should know about.

When fires are characterized as class A fires, usually caused by wood, paper, textiles, coal, paper and the likes, Water Fire Extinguishers are used. If the fire is caused by flammable liquids, a fire extinguisher designed for class B fires is recommended; this is the Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher. This type of fire extinguisher is especially formulated for electrical hazards and flammable liquids mostly common to manufacturing or production businesses.

fire fighting is difficult when one is dealing with flammable liquids. Thus, Foam Fire Extinguishers are ideally suited where both class A & B fire risks exist. Aqueous Film Forming Foam or AFFF is particularly suited to fight liquid spill fires such as petrol, oil, fats, paints etc., and works by forming a film on the liquid to extinguish the fire. This extinguisher has also passed the electrical conductivity test at 35kv.

A Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher is a good fire protection device and is suitable for class B risks involving flammable liquids and especially for electrical hazards. These extinguishers have been a natural replacement for Halon. CO2 is harmless to electrical equipment and as such is ideal for modern offices, electronic risks, and fires caused by the combustion of liquids such as oil, fats, solvents, and the likes.

Powder Fire Extinguishers are especially suited to mixed or combined fire risk environments, and a good all round fire extinguishers. These are also suitable for flammable liquid risk such as methane, propane, hydrogen, natural gas etc.

Fire extinguishers are common fire protection devices that can be easily bought in stores, in different sizes. However, it would be useful to know that fire blankets, which protect people as effectively as a fire extinguisher, can also be purchased in stores. Fire feeds on oxygen as well; if you have a fire blanket wrapped around you, the blanket will cut the oxygen supply, killing the fire. It also serves as a protective layer while you are looking for a way out of a burning building.