Fire Safety and How to Use Fire Extinguishers

8/6/2019 Fire Safety and How to Use Fire Extinguishers

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Fire Safety:How to Use

Fire Extinguishers

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied,recorded, scanned, or otherwise, except as permitted under Australian copyrightlaw, without the prior written permission of the author.

To the reader:

While the author and publisher of this work made reasonable efforts to ensure theaccuracy and timeliness of the information contained herein, the author andpublisher assume no liability with respect to loss or damage caused, or alleged tobe caused, by any reliance on any information contained herein and disclaim anyand all warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or reliability of saidinformation.The publisher and author make no representations or warranties with respect to the

accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim allwarranties. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable forevery situation. It is the complete responsibility of the reader to ensure they areadhering to all local, regional and national laws.

Copyright NoticeAll rights reserved. You may NOT sell this report or modify it in any way.


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Table of Contents:

5. Introduction to Fire Extinguishers

6. Safety First

7. Fire Extinguishers Dos and Donts

9. Additional Information

10. What are Brackets and Cabinets

12. How to Mount and Install

13. Different Classes of Fire

14. Different Color Codes

15. What to do with Kitchen Fires

16. Other Important Safety Tips


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Introduction to Fire ExtinguishersSafety has always been a paramount concern for all of us. Whoever we are,whatever we do and wherever we may be, we always think about our safety.That is a fact. We do everything we can do in terms of securing ourselves and ourproperties from any threat. And that is why we have all these locks and security

measures in place for all the things we put value on. To protect our homes from fire,we usually havefire extinguishers.Now, heres another fact: we rarely take the time check if the fire extinguishers wehave in our homes and offices are the right ones. In the next pages, we will take acloser look at fire extinguishers to know more about the types, varieties, contentsand effectiveness against which classes of fires (yes, THERE ARE classes of fires)

not just so wed know more about these oft-neglected lifesavers, but moreimportantly, so we can sleep soundly at night knowing we have done our part inkeeping our homes safe.
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Safety FirstLogic tells us that a fire extinguisher is to fire like food is to hunger and this is truemost of the time. The fact is there are a number of instances when it would be betterfor us to discard logic and avoid trying to put out fire using an extinguisher.

We may not want to do thatif the fire is too big or has already spread.It is safer not to try to fight a fire if were not sure we can put it out or if we cant findour way out in case we fail. We dont want to end up helpless in the middle of anasty fire with an empty fire extinguisher tank in hand.Another instance would be if we are not sure what caused the fire in the first place.All fire extinguishers are classified according to the types of fires they are meant tohandle, so it is better to make sure were using the right one.Also remember that most fire extinguishers require periodic servicing andmaintenance to make sure the chemicals and agents inside are okay for use. If the

one we have hasnt been serviced, it may not be in good condition.Now, unless otherwise mentioned, the really logical course of action is to go aheadand try to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. That is, of course, after havingmade sure we know how to use it properly.
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Fire Extinguishers Dos and DontsMost of us do not have an idea how to properly usefire extinguishers. After all, werarely take the time to read manuals and user guides on most household utilities

and gadgets, let alone the ones we dont want to use and we certainly wouldntwant to have to use fire extinguishers, right?The fact is, we really ought to know how to use this nifty life-saving cylinder, if onlyto avoid having to read its label while, say, the kitchen is burning! So lets get toknow our fire extinguishers better.Of course, it would help if we can readily identify its parts first before we move on tothe intricacies of using it properly. The ones we see in our kitchen corner usuallythe stored pressure type have a safety pin, a hose, a nozzle, a handle, and thecylinder.

1. The first step is to pull the safety pin while holding

the fire extinguisher upright. It wont work if the

safety pin is still in place, and it has to be upright

to avoid injuries, should there be leaks andhandle

malfunction.Its content is pressurized,

remember?

2. Aim the nozzle at the source of the fire. If we

want to put out a fire, we want to go straight to

whats causing it and fire away (sorry, I couldnt

resist the pun). Also, remember to keep a safe

distance and stay at least six to ten feet away

from the fire.


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3. We can then squeeze the handle and quickly spray the contents from side toside, making sure to cover the entire fire base.

4. Continue spraying, doing so in a sweeping motion until the fire is completely

doused out.

Easy enough, right? Now, to make it even simpler, we can sum up the wholeprocess in four easy steps pull, aim, squeeze and sweep, or PASS.Yes, the proper way to use fire extinguishers is to go PASS. Before we PASS ourcares away, though, there are other things we should get ourselves acquainted with.


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Additional Information There are two main types of fire extinguishers: 1. thestored-pressure type; and 2. the cartridge-operated type referring to the way bywhich it dispenses the dousing agents it contains.The former holds both the active firefighting agent and the expellants in the samestorage, while the second one makes use of separate cartridges that contain

expellants, for easier recharge. This second type is largely for commercial andindustrial settings, where instances of fire are more likely.Portable fire extinguishers are either hand-held or cart-wheeled, depending on thesize. We usually find the cart-wheeled types in construction sites, airports anddocks. For most homes, the fire extinguishers often used are the portable ones.The fire extinguishersmust be placed in strategic locations. We have to place theunits where we can easily have access to them.For home use, it is best to have one in the kitchen and another one in the garagebecause these are the two places a fire is likely to start.
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What are Brackets and Cabinets

We may need to use fire extinguisher brackets to keep the fire extinguisher tanks inplace. For this, there are different types of fire extinguisher brackets we can use tosuit different kinds and sizes of fire extinguishers, and for mounting and securing

them on walls.There are lug brackets, shoulder brackets, transport brackets, J-brackets andcustom-built ones. Lug brackets or J-brackets, are the most common and the mostcost-effective ones.The transport brackets, of course, are used for fittingfire extinguishersinside cars.We dont want these stored-pressure tanks rolling around in the trunk while weredoing ninety on the freeway.The standard for mounting the tank inside a house is to place the fire extinguisherhandle at least one meter above ground level.

Putting your fire extinguisher where anyone can possibly bump or trip over it is justnot good practice.As much as possible, we dontwant anybody injured, and wedont want our fire extinguisherinadvertently discharged ortampered.


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Another reason we want to place them in brackets is so we can see them. With fireemergencies, we tend to panic and forget where to find stuff.The alternative is to put them inside wall-mounted cabinets. This is perfect formounting the unit in public places. The cabinet keeps it safe from vandals andthieves.

Fire extinguisher cabinets are either non-rated or fire-rated. Non-rated, if they arenot insulated against fire, and fire-rated if they passed some standard orcertification that they can withstand exposure to fire for a certain duration.


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How to Mount and InstallMounting and installation should comply with standards for occupational safety andlocal labor provisions on where to place the cabinet and the use, maintenance andtesting of such in a workplace. In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA) requires cabinet mountings to protrude not more than four inches from the

wall.Furthermore, there are a number of ways the fire extinguisher cabinets are installed.They are primarily either surface-mounted or recessed. The surface-mounted,obviously, is one where you can see the whole cabinet sticking from the wall.For the recessed installation, they are either just semi-recessed, or fully recessed.Fully recessed is when the cabinet tub (the inside part where the tank is placed) isfully concealed.

In work places the fire extinguishers are either periodically checked or monitored

electronically, and the cabinets are set up to sound an alarm when tampered with.The alarms, of course, can only be shut off by the person who has the cabinet key.This shrill alarm is important in warning other people of the fire so they could moveto safety.


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Different Classes of FireThere are varying classifications of fire in some countries despite standardization,but all agree to base them in terms of the source of fire. The US only has fiveclassifications of fire, while the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia (AU) recognizesix.

In both UK and Australia, the six classes are labelled A through F. The UnitedStates uses a 5-class system, so they have A, B, C, D and K fires. For bothsystems, Class A refers to fires that are caused by ordinary combustible materialslike wood and paper.Class B fires are those caused by flammable and combustible liquids only as perUK and AU system, but it includes combustible gases in the US system.Class C is for those caused by combustible gases (UK, AU). For US, its for thosecaused by burning outlets or electrically charged equipment.Class D are fires caused by combustible metals. Class E is where the UK system

places fires involving electronic equipment.Both systems consider the last class (class F in UK, class K in the US) as thosefires caused by or involving cooking fat and oil.These, of course, would definitely involve the kitchen, where all the cooking and fatsand oils are usually found.


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Different Color Codes

Fire extinguisherscontaining wet chemicals are usually color-coded beige and are

considered suitable for Class A and F fires, not effective on Classes B and C, andshould not be used on Class E.Tanks that have white bands and labels contain agents in powder form, consideredsuitable for A, B and E types of fire.Others would come with black band or label, which means the active agent theycontain is carbon dioxide. This rating is considered suitable for class E fires, but isnot as effective on class A, B and F fires.The ones that contain vaporising liquid agents will have red and yellowbands/labels, and are suitable only for Class A and E fires. The ones with blue

bands around them (sometimes solid blue) contain foam and can effectively work onClass A and B fires.Those that are solid red in color have water as their main extinguishing agent, andwork well in putting out Class A fires.


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What to do with Kitchen Fires

If you use a water-based fire extinguisher to try and put out burning oil, youre likelyto just spread it out and onto the other combustible objects nearby, like kitchencurtains and cartons and stuff. If you use a

powder type fire extinguisher, the powder will just sink into the oil and maybe feed the firesome more.The fire extinguishing agent most suited forClass F/K fires are based on wet chemicals.The potassium-based liquid would react to theburning oils, forming a foam-like substance.This is well-suited to kitchen fires because itextinguishes the fire slowly yet steadily, and

that is how you want to handle oil fires. You see, oil fires can flare up and explode ifdoused out quickly using other fire-extinguishing agents.Thefire extinguishersare sometimes just a part of larger Kitchen Fire SuppressionSystems. The electronic detector in such systems would fire up first, activating thewhole fire suppression rig, which is then followed up by the use of a Class F/K fireextinguisher.


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Other Important Safety Tips

Now, before we go ahead and apply what we have just learned, there are other

important considerations we might want to entertain, like: if someone has alreadycalled the fire department; if we have access to exit points, should the fire spread orget too big; and if we are physically and psychologically ready to handle the task.Remember: safety is our main concern. Any hesitation on our part could spelldisaster. It may be clich but, hey, It isalways better to be safe than sorry.For all your fire safety needs, visit www.fireextinguishershop.com now!
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Fire Safety and How to Use Fire Extinguishers