How to Use a Fire Extinguisher Safely

Appropriate fire extinguisher training will give your staff the skills needed to tackle a fire safely. If used incorrectly, fire extinguishers can actually make a fire far worse so ensure everyone in your building knows how to use a fire extinguisher safely with the guide below.

Which fire extinguishers are designed for which fires?

Before you can begin to tackle a fire you need to understand what the different types of fires are. There are six different categories of fire which are defined in classes A – E, knowing these classes and the corresponding chemicals to combat them is the core basis of fire extinguisher safety.

•    A class fires are the most common type of fires and begin when solid material such as wood or cloth become hot and are ignited.  These should be tackled with water fire extinguishers.

•    B class fires refer to liquid fires such as petrol and foam fire extinguishers are the safest way to deal with these fires.

•    C class fires are caused by flammable gas and can be put out by using powder fire extinguishers. Powder fire extinguishers make a good investment as they can also tackle liquid and solid fires.

•    D class fires refer to fires on metals such as steel, uranium and potassium. Special metal fire extinguishers can be used on these types of fire as other extinguishers may aggravate the fire.

•    E class fires are caused by cooking oil or fat igniting. Wet chemical fire extinguishers are designed to put out class E fires and can also be used on class A fires.

Knowing which extinguishers put out which fires is the foundation of fire extinguish safety. Using the wrong type of fire extinguisher can have devastating consequences as it can result in spreading the fire further.

Top tips for fire extinguisher safety

•    You should make people aware that they should only tackle a fire if it’s safe to do so. If the fire is in early stages and not in any immediate danger of spreading quickly then it’s probably safe to extinguish it but each situation should be assessed for safety.

•    If there is a lot of smoke in the area then it’s best to sound the alarm, evacuate the building and not stay to tackle the fire. Smoke inhalation can be highly dangerous so leave it to the fire brigade.

•    Fire and smoke spread quickly and not always through a visible route. For example, smoke can spread through air conditioning systems which could make escaping more difficult. Only use a fire extinguisher if the smoke or fire won’t block your exit.

•    If you do decide to tackle the fire then position yourself in between the fire and your nearest exit so you have a means of escape should the fire become worse.

•    Keep low when you tackle a fire as heat and smoke rise.

Fire extinguisher training is a key part of fire safety so make sure your staff  know what to do in an emergency situation. For more advice on how to use a fire extinguisher safely, contact Assured Fire and Security and ask about their fire extinguisher training courses.