subject: Familiarizing With The Different Fire Extinguishers [print this page] An important aspect in responsible fire risk assessment is the knowledge in the different types of fire extinguishers and its different and specific purposes in fighting fire. There is a wide array of fire extinguishers in the market with specific purposes in the field of fire fighting and having a working background on this would do well in making the right decisions in fire safety and protection.
Figuring the Number of Extinguishers Needed
For most residential homes and office buildings, the 10-pound capacity, multi-purpose ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher is most appropriate. As a rule of thumb, there should at least be one of this type of extinguisher for every 200 square meters of floor space and a minimum of two extinguishers per floor. Also, a maximum travel distance (including obstructions and walls) of 23 meters from any point in the building to the nearest fire extinguisher must be observed.
For practical purposes, the fire extinguishers must also be positioned near entrances and fire exit doors for easier location. Fire extinguishers must also be located near high risk areas such as kitchens and garages. Fire extinguishers should ideally be installed by hanging on the wall, with the control lever or the topmost portion of the extinguisher near the eye level of the average person.
Fire Extinguisher Types and Color Codes
In the case of the United Kingdom, color codes have been instituted in order to make identification of fire extinguishers easy. Water extinguishers have been coded red, carbon dioxide has been designated black, foam as cream, dry chemical powder as blue, wet chemical yellow, and green as the designated color for vaporizing liquid extinguishers.
Although water is a universal solvent, it is quite surprising to learn that the water extinguisher has very limited extinguishing capabilities. It is only appropriate for fire originating from solid materials such as paper, wood, textiles and the like. It cannot be used for electrical fires as it could result in electrocution as water is a conductor of electricity, and it cannot be used for liquid fires, such as from oil, gasoline, or grease, because water is heavier than most oils and it would just throw off and spread further the liquid fire.
The carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are effective for electrical fires but caution must be taken to ensure that the horn of the extinguisher used to expel the carbon dioxide must be made of fiberglass or other non-metallic material in order to prevent 'arcing', where electricity jumps from the fire source to the extinguisher operator. There are however, certain limitations in the use of this type of extinguisher for solid fires. This is a clean extinguishing chemical that may be used in places with expensive equipment like computers.
AFFF (aquaeus film forming foam) extinguishers are best for liquid commercial fire safety and fire detection and can also be used for heavily stacked solid fires, but this is an expensive extinguishing agent. The ABC dry chemical powder extinguisher is the most versatile type which can extinguish solid, liquid, and electrical fires, although extinguishment damage may be considerable. The wet chemical and halon (vaporizing liquid) extinguishers are for special fire extinguishment purposes.
Familiarizing With The Different Fire Extinguishers
