Chief’s Corner: Residential fire extinguishers
At the Northstar Fire Department, we are often times approached with questions regarding fire extinguisher maintenance and use. This article should include answers to many of these inquiries.
Benefits of having a fire extinguisher
Residential fire extinguishers are designed and engineered to keep your family, belongings and home safe in the event of a fire. Portable fire extinguishers are one of the easiest ways to control, contain and extinguish small kitchen, house, office and workplace fires. Equipping your home with the right fire extinguishers and maintaining those extinguishers is essential to the safety of your family and property.
Choosing a fire extinguisher for your home
Fires are classified by what it is that is burning.
- Class A fires involve ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, cloth, and plastics.
- Class B fires consist of flammable liquids including oil, grease, gasoline, etc.
- Class C fires are fires involving live electrical equipment.
- Class D fires are fires involving combustible metals.
- Class K fires are fires with high-temperature cooking liquids such as animal oils, vegetable oils, and fats.
Most households are best protected by a multi-purpose A-B-C dry chemical fire extinguisher. Letters and symbols on extinguishers show the classes of fire they can extinguish. The recommended size for the home is a 5lb or 10lb extinguisher. A five pound extinguisher is best for mounting and use in a kitchen or laundry room and a ten pound extinguisher is best for a garage or work shop where a fire might grow in size before being noticed. Disposable and rechargeable fire extinguishers are available at most hardware stores, large retail and big box stores, and through fire extinguisher service companies.
Recommend Locations
Extinguishers should be located in kitchens, laundry rooms, garages, workshops or wherever you have heat sources or flammable materials. They should be installed near exits so that a means of escape can always be maintained if the fire grows too large. Fire extinguishers should also be mounted in an accessible area to assure ease of use during an emergency.
When to use a Fire Extinguisher
A fire extinguisher should only be used when the people in your home are already being evacuated and someone is calling 9-1-1. Fire extinguishers are made to fight small, contained fires that are not spreading. If you try to extinguish a fire that is too big, you put yourself at risk and can waste valuable time by delaying a call to 9-1-1. Only fight the fire if you have an unobstructed escape route – never putting the fire between you and an exit. If you have any doubt about your ability to fight the fire, evacuate immediately and call 9-1-1.
How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
Below are the basic steps on how to use a fire extinguisher.
P – A – S – S is an easy way to help you remember how to use a fire extinguisher.
P – Pull the pin
A – Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire
S – Squeeze the handle
S – Sweep the nozzle back and forth, moving carefully towards the fire if it seems to be going out
After the fire is extinguished, watch to make sure the fire doesn’t flare up again. Always make sure to report any fire by calling 9-1-1.
Fire Extinguisher Care
Your fire extinguishers should be inspected on a regular basis. Check to make sure that the fire extinguisher is still in its original location. It should not be obstructed by any objects and should be accessible for emergency use. The gauge on the fire extinguisher should also be checked to make sure that it is properly charged.
Single use fire extinguishers need to be disposed of and replaced after being discharged, while rechargeable fire extinguishers can be reused after being serviced by a professional fire extinguisher company. Most residential fire extinguishers are the single use type. Fire extinguishers do come with an expiration date and should be replaced upon reaching this date to ensure proper functioning. Unless a fire extinguisher has been properly maintained, there is the possibility it could malfunction in an emergency.
Old fire extinguishers can be brought to the Northstar Fire Department where they will be properly disposed of or used in our fire extinguisher training classes. Check with your local fire department to see if they will accept your fire extinguishers.
