Portable Fire Extinguishers Small fires can often be put out quickly by a well-trained employee with a portable fire extinguisher.
Sprinkle a large amount of bicarbonate soda or salt over the fire and this should be enough to extinguish it, or at least give you time to get to your fire extinguisher. Don't use water on these types of fires, as it doesn't mix well with oil and can actually make the fire worse.
ABC dry powder small fire extinguishers are suitable for use on Class A fires involving solid materials, Class B fires involving flammable liquids and Class C fires involving flammable gases making them adaptable to many different premises and scenarios.
When at all feasible, try to suffocate a fire by smothering it with the most suitable sort of fire extinguisher, water, or a covering substance like earth. A carbon dioxide extinguisher or a fire blanket can be used to remove oxygen from the area around the fire.
In addition, portable fire extinguishers contain a limited amount of extinguishing agent and can be discharged in a matter of seconds. Therefore, individuals should attempt to fight only very small or incipient stage fires. Using a fire extinguisher is not a requirement.
Inform people in the immediate area to evacuate. If you witness a fire, activate the nearest building fire alarm and exit the building. When safe, immediately call 911. If the fire is small (wastebasket sized or smaller) and you have been trained to use a fire extinguisher, you may attempt to extinguish the fire.
How To Use a Fire Extinguisher. It's easy to remember how to use a fire extinguisher if you can remember the acronym PASS, which stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep.
Fire extinguishers contain different extinguishing agents such as water, carbon dioxide, dry chemical or wet chemical, depending on the kind of fire the extinguisher is intended for. Did you know: There are 5 primary types of fire extinguishers, each designed to put out different kinds of fires.
The main fire extinguishers to avoid when in a confined space are CO2 and dry powder extinguishers. In BS 5306-8, it is noted that dry powder extinguishers can reduce visibility and impair breathing, both of which inhibit the safe and easy escape – or rescue from – the space.
In less than 30 seconds a small flame can turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house or for it to be engulfed in flames. Fire is HOT! Heat is more threatening than flames.
The majority of fire-related deaths are caused by smoke inhalation of the toxic gases produced by fires.
Fire extinguishers can put out or control a fire until help arrives. Use portable units as first-aid or emergency units on small fires or in the initial stages of the fire.
Sand is best used on small outdoor fires and cooking fires that are slow burning. It may need to be combined with water and spread around to smother flames and ashes.
Water cannot be used as a fire extinguisher to put out burning oils such as gasoline, diesel, and so on. Because oil is lighter than water, it floats over it and continues to burn. Furthermore, the water can spread and carry the oil with it, spreading the fire over a larger area.
The four methods to extinguish a fire include cooling, starving, smothering, and breaking the chain reaction. Cooling removes heat, starving removes fuel, smothering removes oxygen, and breaking the chain reaction interferes with the fire's ability to fuel itself.
Introducing the 4 P's to Fire & Evacuation
These are the procedures / requirements which are in place. These alone will not make you safe, they are a means to an end and also guide the other P's – prevention, preparation and practice.
Activate the first fire alarm you see and try to help others to evacuate the building. Close doors behind you to help prevent the fire from spreading. Follow the evacuation procedure if you're at your workplace or follow the escape route signs if you're a visitor. Listen to instructions given by the Fire Marshal.
If you are not trained in portable extinguisher use, the answer is easy: you should evacuate, and never attempt to fight a fire if you do not have extinguisher training. If you are trained with extinguishers, however, there are many things to consider when deciding whether to fight or take flight.
Discharge the extinguisher within its effective range using the P.A.S.S. technique (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep). Back away from an extinguished fire in case it flames up again. Evacuate immediately if the extinguisher is empty and the fire is not out.