Which Fire Extinguisher?

10:42.00 - Friday 14th December 2007   (Link to This Entry)

A Fire Extinguisher is an essential piece of safety equipment for both home and office. When looking to buy a fire extinguisher, it's important to consider the most likely type of fire you will encounter. Before buying any kind of fire extinguisher, please get some Fire Extinguisher Advice from someone who knows what they're talking about.

In the home, for example, your primary fire types will be Fat and Oils from chip pan fires, and burning foodstuffs in the oven. For these, it's probably best to buy a Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher since they are easy to use and can be used on most types of fire. You might also want to buy a Fire Blanket in case of a chip pan fire.

There used to be a classification for electrical fires, but this is no longer the case, since the electricity source is only the cause of the fire and not the actual material that is burning. Once the supply has been disconnected, a Carbon Dioxide or 'CO2' Fire Extinguisher or a Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher can be used. Dry Powder fire extinguishers make a bit of a mess, but can quite easily be cleaned up.

Anyway, there are several types of fire and several types of fire extinguisher:

• Water Fire Extinguishers are suitable for use on fires involving freely burning materials. For example wood, paper, textiles and other carbonaceous materials.
• Foam Fire Extinguishers are also suitable for use on fires involving freely burning materials, plus fires involving flammable liquids. For example petrols and spirits - not alcohol or cooking oil.
• For Fires involving flammable gasses - for example propane and butane - as well as the above fire types, a Dry Powder fire extinguisher can be employed.
• Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishers are also suitable for Fires involving flammable liquids - not including Alcohol or Oil.
• And finally, Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers can be used for fires involving both Freely-Burning materials as well as Fires involving cooking oil and fat. For example olive oil, maize oil, lard and butter.

Being a complete fashion victim and all-round bling-merchant, I'm looking at these Silver Fire Extinguishers for the office.