Choosing Fire
Extinguishers.
 Identify
the type of materials in the area.
Class A:Â SOLIDS such as paper, wood, plastic etc
Class B:Â FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS such as paraffin, petrol,
oil etc
Class C: Â FLAMMABLE GASES such as propane, butane,
methane etc
Class D: METALS such as aluminium, magnesium, titanium
etc
Class E: Fires involving ELECTRICAL APPARATUS
Class F: Cooking OIL & FAT etc
Types of fire extinguisher.
Â
Â
Water
Fire Extinguishers:
Â
The cheapest and most widely used fire extinguishers. Used
for Class A fires. Not suitable for Class B (Liquid) fires,
or where electricity is involved.
Â
Â
Foam
Fire Extinguishers:
Â
More expensive than water, but more versatile. Used for
Classes A & B fires. Foam spray extinguishers are not
recommended for fires involving electricity, but are safer
than water if inadvertently sprayed onto live electrical
apparatus.
Â
Â
Dry Powder Fire
Extinguishers:
Â
Â
Often termed the multi-purpose extinguisher, as it can be
used on classes A, B & C fires. Best for running liquid
fires (Class B). Will efficiently extinguish Class C gas
fires, BUT BEWARE, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS TO EXTINGUISH A GAS
FIRE WITHOUT FIRST ISOLATING THE GAS SUPPLY. Â Special
powders are available for class D metal fires.
Â
Warning: when used indoors, powder can obscure vision or
damage goods and machinery. It is also very messy.
CO2 Fire Extinguishers:
Â
Carbon Dioxide is ideal for fires involving electrical
apparatus, and will also extinguish class B liquid fires, but
has NO POST FIRE SECURITY and the fire could
re-ignite.
Â
Wet
Chemicals.
Specialist extinguisher for class F fires.
Â
For Metal Fires: A specialist fire extinguisher for use on
Class D fires - metal fires such as sodium, lithium,
manganese and aluminium when in the form of swarf or
turnings.
Â
Â
Color
Coding.
the code of practice for fire extinguishers in the UK was BS
5423, which advised the colour coding of fire extinguishers
as follows:
Â
Water - Red
Â
Foam - Cream
Â
Dry Powder - Blue
Â
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Black
Â
Halon - Green (now 'illegal' except for a few exceptions such
as the Police, Armed Services and Aircraft).
Â
New extinguishers should conform to BS EN 3, which requires
that the entire body of the extinguisher be coloured red. A
zone of colour of up to 5% of the external area can be used
to identify the contents using the old colour coding shown
above.