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Extinguisher Types
CO2 | |
| CO2 fire extinguishers (carbon dioxide) are the only fire extinguisher recommended for fires involving electrical equipment. CO2 is safe to use on and around electrical equipment, as the gas itself is non-conductive, and once used, there is no sticky foam or messy powder left behind. They are also effective on Class B fires (flammable liquids). Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are painted bright red with a black panel above the operating instructions. They have a distinctive horn-shaped nozzle at the side on the smaller models with 5kgs and above having a hose and horn. | |
Water | |
Water remains one of the most effective fire-extinguishing agents we have, from the humble fire bucket to today's more sophisticated water fire extinguishers. Water extinguishers should only be used where they work best, on Class A fires, sometimes called ordinary combustible fires. Paper, wood, fabrics, furniture, indeed most things you'll have stored in your home or office, will provide the fuel for a Class A fire. | |
Water Additive | |
Chemical additives can radically increase the effectiveness of a water fire extinguisher by up to 300%, as well as reducing the size of extinguisher required. Water additive fire extinguishers, are smaller and lighter than standard water fire extinguishers. A 3 litre extinguisher matches the 13A rating of an ordinary 9 litre water extinguisher and, if you have ever picked up a 9 litre extinguisher, you'll understand the benefit. A 6 litre water additive will normally have a 21A rating. As premises need a minimum of 13A, these have become extremely popular | |
Dry Powder | |
Dry powder fire extinguishers are excellent all-round fire extinguishers, often recommended for use on vehicles and in the home. All powder fire extinguishers are red with a blue panel, are either ABC or BC rated and are safe to be used on fires involving electrical equipment. (Remember to look for the electrical safety pictogram.) Dry powder extinguishers are not suitable for use in enclosed spaces such as offices, hotels, schools, etc, as the fire-fighting agent creates a cloud that can obscure vision. The contents may also create breathing problems. | |
Foam | |
Foam fire extinguishers have come a long way in 30 years. The original foam was thick, gloopy and smelled appalling, due to its high animal protein content. (Not good for vegetarians, then!) Modern Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) fire extinguishers are another breed altogether, one of the best all-round units available. Foam extinguishers are red with a cream panel above the operating instructions. | |
Wet Chemical | |
Wet chemical fire extinguishers are the new kids on the fire extinguisher scene, developed specifically for use on deep fat cooking fires. The first such extinguisher on the market was the Chubb FryFighter, and its appearance gave rise to a new fire class, Class F and a new British Standard, BS 7937: 2000. Wet chemical fire extinguishers are red with a yellow panel above the operating instructions. | |
Metal Powder | |
Specialist fire extinguishers are required to tackle Class D flammable metal fires. As you might expect when dealing with such volatile and specialist materials, you need the correct agent for the metal being extinguished. However, flammable metals are more common than you might imagine, as under certain conditions, even powdered aluminium or swarf can catch fire. | |
Maintenance
Fire Extinguisher Annual Maintenance
Fire extinguisher maintenance and care in accordance with the Code of Practice stipulated in British Standard 5306 part 3 should be integrated into your premises Fire Risk Assessment and is, in effect, a legal requirement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Annual inspections (or more frequent for high risk locations or corrosive environements) by a competent person will involve inspecting every fire extinguisher, and identifying those extinguishers which need repressurising, require replacement parts, or which have reached the end of their useful lives.
Fire Extinguishers: Refurbishment verses Replacement
Refurbishing fire extinguishers is a long process, requiring inspections, removal of your fire extinguishers to a factory, replacement parts, pressure testing, refilling, repressurising, and finally the return of your extinguishers back to your premises. These days, most servicing companies just service exchange the unit for a ready-tested model although this can leave you with a different, sometimes inferior, model to the original. Service exchange generally costs half the price of a new extinguisher from a service company. Many businesses have discovered it is far more time and cost effective to simply replace their fire extinguishers with new ones purchased at the huge discounts available online, and recycle their old extinguishers.
Check Your Business Fire Extinguishers Every Month
A visual check on your fire extinguishers once a month takes very little time, but can save both money and lives and is part of your legal duty.
- Check that your fire extinguishers are on their proper fire extinguisher floor stands or wall hanging brackets, and access to them is unobstructed. Check that all fire extinguisher stands are undamaged, and that all wall brackets are secure. Check that signage is also unobstructed, so staff can easily see where fire extinguishers are located in the event of an emergency. Replace any worn, peeling or damaged signage
- Check the pressure gauge where fitted. The gauge needle should be in the green zone. If it is in the red, either have the fire extinguisher repressurised, or replace it with a new fire extinguishe.
- Check that all seals are intact, that the safety pin is in place and secured by a tamper-evident seal or OK indicator. Gently dust or vacuum the extinguisher top to remove dust from the important valve, gauge and nozzle areas, and invest in a fire extinguisher cover if the area is particularly dusty, dirty or grease.
- Check the fire extinguisher cylinder for any signs of leakage, rust spots or dents. If you find any, replace the fire extinguisher immediately and safely dispose of the old one. If a fire extinguisher is badly damaged, do NOT move it yourself in case the canister explodes. Call in a professional fire extinguisher company who will remove it safely.
- Check that the labeling remains clear and sharp to read. Some guides recommend you gently shake small powder extinguishers to prevent the contents from settling into a cake. In practice, you need to hold the unit upside down next to your ear without shaking so you can hear the loose powder gradually fall. Do not try this with large extinguishers.
- Finally, take a moment to look around the space to see if anything has changed that will affect either the operation, provision or location of your fire extinguishers. Is a new filing cabinet obscuring a sign, or has a new machine been installed in the area requiring access to a CO2 fire extinguisher?
Safe Disposal of Old Fire Extinguishers
Most important to remember is that a fire extinguisher is usually under pressure and removal of any of the parts can be dangerous without proper training. People have been killed trying to do this in the past. Old but still safe fire extinguishers are ideal for staff fire training sessions, but , in reality, only plain water and CO2 are safe to use at most premises. Only plain water fire extinguishing agents can be emptied into drains, whilst powder needs to be disposed of in sealed bags and sent to landfill. Small quantities of used fire extinguishers can be disposed of at your local council amenity site, whilst larger quantities should be disposed of through specialised contractors. All business owners have legal duty of care to properly dispose of waste, so only employ a company that has a license to carry controlled waste.
Recycling Fire Extinguishers
Some fire extinguisher maintenance companies have access to specialist refurbishing and refilling companies. Most parts of old fire extinguishers can be recycled, from the headcaps, valves and tubes to the contents themselves. The fire extinguisher body is then fully inspected and pressure tested, and if sound, will be reused. If not, the canister is either pierced or cut in half to prevent further use, and scrapped
Fire Ratings
All fires are grouped into classes, according to the type of materials that are burning. The classes of fire for the UK and Europe are different to those used in the USA and Australia so remember to always read labels carefully if overseas.
Class A fires are those involving free burning materials, such as paper, wood, fabrics and other textiles, and also plastics
Class B fires involve flammable liquids and solids, such as diesel, petrol, and oils (but not cooking oils), plus solid fuels such as wax
Class C fires involve flammable gases, such as propane, butane and methane
Class D fires involve flammable metals such as sodium, potassium and magnesium
Electrical equipment fires involve electrical equipment such as switchgear or computers. (These are sometimes accidentally referred to as Class E fires, although the category does not officially exist in the UK*)
Class F fires are specific to cooking oils and fats
* Note: Unlike other continents, the European EN3 rating system does not recognise a Class E fire classification, as electrical equipment is often the cause of a fire, rather than a fire type. So, modern fire extinguishers specify whether they should be used on electrical equipment, rather than bearing a Class E rating.
Fire Extinguishers: Colours, Letters, Numbers and Pictures
In order to standardise markings on fire extinguishers across Europe, information is presented in several ways on a fire extinguisher.
- Every fire extinguisher is colour-coded for easy referenc.
- The extinguisher’s fire rating is shown both as a letter (such as A or B) and also as a pictogram. In addition, the fire extinguisher will also bear a pictogram if it is suitable for use on electrical equipment fire.
- The precise fire rating for Class A and B fires is expressed as a number and letter combination, such as 34B.
- There are clear operating instructions on how to use each types of extinguisher. To see what each fire extinguisher looks like, see our guide to types of fire extinguisher
In addition, a quality UK fire extinguisher should be clearly marked with:
- The fire rating
- a BS (BSI) Kitemark, indicating BAFE (British Approval for Fire Equipment) approval
- a CE mark
These marks confirm that your fire extinguishers comply with the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) and are BAFE (British Approval for Fire Equipment) approved.
Choosing the Right Fire Extinguisher for Your Fire Risk
As you might expect, the letter coding or rating on a fire extinguisher label corresponds to the fire class(es) it can be used on. The numbers before the rating, e.g. 13A, indicate the size of fire that can be extinguished under test conditions. Generally, the larger this number, the larger the fire that the extinguisher can extinguish. However, never underestimate the size of any fire you may try and deal with. If in any doubt, get out, stay out, and call your local Fire Brigade immediately.
Class A
Class A rating fire extinguishers are often water-based, and are highly effective in extinguishing burning materials found or stored in an office or warehouse, for example. Water-based Class A extinguishers may also have additives to make them more effective. The number before the letter A such as 13A indicates the length of a wooden crib test fire (1.3 metres in this case) successfully extinguished under rigorous test conditions. If you need a 13A rating, anything higher such as 21A will even better.
Class B
Class B rating fire extinguishers are usually foam (AFFF) fire extinguishers or powder. These extinguishers work by not only extinguishing flames but also sealing in any potentially dangerous vapours. The number before the letter B such as 144B indicates the size of the flammable liquid test fire that can be extinguished under test conditions. The higher the number, the bigger the fire.
Class C
Class C rating fire extinguishers will be dry powder fire extinguishers but flammable gas is a strange one in that, if out out without the gas supply being turned off, the escaping gas is much more dangerous.
Class D
Class D rating fire extinguishers are highly specialised extinguishers, designed to be used on specific metal fires with such exotic names as M28, L2 and Purple-K. They will have a long lance with a low velocity applicator on the end.
Fires Involving Electrics
Electrical equipment fire extinguishers are specially designed for use on live electrical equipment without harming the fire extinguisher user. While a powder fire extinguisher is non-conductive and safe to use, the most popular fire extinguisher for use on electrical equipment fires is carbon dioxide, which extinguishes flames without causing further damage.
Class F
Class F rating fire extinguishers, known as wet chemical fire extinguishers, are specifically for fires involving cooking oils and fats.
Multi-Rating Fire Extinguishers
Many fire extinguishers you see in public areas and offices can be used on two or more classes of fires.
How To Use Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are an extremely effective item of fire fighting equipment, but only if you know how to use them properly. There really is no substitute for hands-on training, so if your company offers this, leap at the chance. If you own a business, when periodic disharge tests are due or you are replacing your old but safe fire extinguishers with new ones, consider using the older extinguishers for invaluable hands-on training for your staff.
If In Doubt, Get Out
When considering whether to tackle a small fire yourself if you discover one, always bear in mind the golden rule of fire safety; If in doubt, get out, stay out and call the Fire Brigade immediately.
Using a Fire Extinguisher on a Class A, B or C Fire
These fires are the most common that you might be required to deal with. Most water, water additive, CO2 and powder fire extinguishers work in the same way, regardless of shape or size. An easy way to remember what to do when operating a fire extinguisher is to think of the acronym PASS. PULL the safety pin out, to free the lever on top of the extinguisher AIM the fire extinguisher nozzle or hose at the base of the fire, standing around 8 feet back from the fire SQUEEZE the handle to release the fire-fighting agent SWEEP the nozzle or hose across the base of the fire (not the flames) until it is fully extinguished
Using a Fire Extinguisher on a Class D Fire
Class D fires involving flammable metals require specialist fire extinguishers and fire extinguishing materials which have a special lance and low velocity applicator. You should always be given full training in the use of these specialised extinguishers. For more details, see our Specialist Fire Extinguishers page
Using a Fire Extinguisher on a Class F Fire
Class F fires involving cooking oils and fats should only be tackled using a wet chemical fire extinguisher and this needs special training to be used effectively. For more details, see our Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers page.
Using a Fire Extinguisher On or Near Electrical Equipment
Only use a fire extinguisher on or near electrical equipment if the extinguisher carries the electrical safety icon, (a lightning flash with arrow). These would normally be CO2, powder, clean agents and water mist. The best fire extinguisher safe to use directly on live electrical equipment is a CO2 fire extinguisher.
Using a CO2 Fire Extinguisher
When using CO2 fire extinguishers with a “swivel horn”, be careful not to hold the extinguisher by the horn. As the CO2 is released, ice rapidly forms on the horn and your skin may get frozen and burnt as a result.
Note: Many new 2kg CO2 extinguishers feature a “frost-free” horn that is safe to hold. However, it will not be obvious to most which ones are safe and which ones are not. For that reason, we still recommend not holding it at all.
Larger CO2 fire extinguishers should have a hose and horn. You can safely hold this horn by it’s handle or by the end of the horn that joins to the hose. For more details, see our Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishers page