Fire Extinguishers
and Classes of Fires
There are x5 Classes of Fire + x1 Electrical
Risk (E)
The European Standard
BS EN3 specifies that All Fire Extinguisher Bodies
are to be coloured "RED"
regardless of the contents of the extinguisher
All Extinguishers now
have a 5% area of the label
that is Colour Coded which denotes its contents
(see Colour Coded Bands below)
|
Water Extinguishers:
|
Suitable
for use on Class A Fires |
Suitable for use on materials such
as - Wood, Paper, Textiles & Fabrics
The water has a cooling effect on
the fire, therefore there is insufficient heat to sustain the fire
They are available in = 9 litre and 6 litre
capacity
Foam
(AFFF) Spray Extinguishers: |
Suitable
for use on Class A & B Fires |
Suitable for use on fires involving
flammable liquids such as - Oils, Spirits, Greases, Fats and Certain
Plastics
The foam has a blanketing effect
that knocks down the flames, smothering them, thus preventing re-ignition
of the flammable vapours by sealing the surface of the solution
These extinguishers have passed the Electrical Conductivity Test
They are available in = 9 litre, 6 litre
and 2 litre capacity
| ABC
- Dry Powder Extinguishers:
|
Suitable
for use on Class A, B, C &
E Fires |
**** CHANGE IN THE BRITISH STANDARDS ****
POWDER Extinguishers are No Longer Suitable for Use Indoors
unless mitigated by a Health & Safety Risk Assessment
Therefore All Powder Extinguishers should be Replaced with an alternative Medium or Mediums
If You Still Have Powder Extinguishers in Your Building This Could "INVALIDATE YOUR INSURANCE"
in order to cover the same risks the alternative to using Powder is:- AFFF (Foam) and CO2 combined
As a multi purpose medium powder is suitable for use on all types of fires, except burning metal
the two main risks being, running fuel fires (flammable liquids) and flammable gas fires (LPG)
The powder interferes with the combustion
process to provide a rapid knock down effect on the flames. Although
Dry Powder can be used on electrical equipment and machinery, care
should be taken as although it will put out the fire it will damage
the equipment
Powder is extremely Messy to clean up, clean up can be very costly and time consuming
Powder reduces visibility and as such can hinder and jepodise escape
Powder can be an irritant and can cause breathing problems
Powder can be corrosive and can damage certain materials or items
They are available in = 9kg,
6kg, 4kg, 2kg
and 1kg capacity
|
Class D - Dry Powder Extinguishers: |
Suitable
for use on Class D Fires |
Suitable for use on fires caused by the combustion of metals such
as Aluminium, Magnesium, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium and their alloys
| Carbon
Dioxide Extinguishers: |
|
Suitable
for use on Class B & E Fires |
Suitable for use on fires involving
flammable liquids such as - Oils, Fats & Solvents & Electrical
hazards. CO2 is non corrosive and non conductive, it is harmless
to electrical equipment and machinery
The CO2 excludes the oxygen from
the fire and smothers the flames thus preventing re-ignition
They are available in = 5kg
and 2kg capacity
| Wet
Chemical Extinguishers: |
Suitable
for use on Class F Fires |
This extinguisher was
developed specifically for tackling Kitchen "Fat Fryer / Cooking
Oil" fires, which are the most difficult types of fire to extinguish
safely
Available in =
6 litre capacity
|
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<<
Click on the button to read more
|
| Halon
Extinguishers: |
Warning
"illegal" No Longer Permitted |
As of December 2003 Halon
was withdrawn from service and it is now an Illegal and an offence
to possess and use such an extinguisher
There are exceptions to this rule where certain industries like the
armed forces or aviation industry can still have and use halon but
they must hold a certificate that conforms to BS Regulation No. 2037/2000
(1) Annex VII "Critical Uses" |
