Fire extinguishers, Alarms, and Systems
Fire extinguishers are an incredibly useful tool when a small fire erupts. Home fires can grow incredibly quickly, often reaching 1200 degrees Fahrenheit in less than ten minutes but they often start out with a single flame. Quick reaction time is of paramount importance if a fire is to be suppressed before it gets out of hand.
What many people don’t realize is that there are different classes of fire extinguishers that are designed for use on different types of fires. There are five classes A, B, C, D and K. A class A extinguisher is suitable for most combustibles such as paper and wood. Class B extinguishers are designed to put out liquid fires such as grease, oil and gasoline fires. Class C extinguishers are designed to put out electrical fires and have a non-conductive extinguishing agent. The most rare, Class D extinguishers are specially designed for certain types of metal fires and are highly specific to certain types of metals. Class K extinguishers are designed for cooking oil fires and are specifically designed to put of animal grease and vegetable oil.
Other numbers next to the letter designate how much, or how big or a surface that is burning can be extinguished. Many household extinguishers are multi-class making them suitable for most interior fires, but there are also specific propellants that can be used to protect valuables such as electronics.
The most widely used extinguishing agent in a fire extinguisher is a dry chemical which chokes the fire from one of its fuel sources, oxygen. Halon extinguishers stop the fire from completing its chemical reaction (which is burning) and thus puts out the fire. Since halon is a gas it does not harm any surfaces and is used on electronics, at museums, and where ever there are expensive and delicate valuables. Water is actually one of the worst extinguishing agents, only working on combustible fires. CO2, or carbon dioxide, is one of the best agents, quickly choking the fire but only working in close quarters.
Using a fire extinguisher is easy, simply pull the pin, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle, and sweep from side to side. It really is that simple as long as the extinguisher is the proper size and type for that specific fire.
There are four ways to put out a fire, remove the fuel, remove the heat, remove the oxygen or stop the chemical reaction from occurring. Either one of those methods works wonders stopping a fire or most extinguishers provide a few of those options.
There is a little bit of maintenance that has to be done on most home extinguishers but it is simple and easy. Check to make sure it is in the right place, which should be easily accessible and visible, and then check to make sure the container is pressurized and within the green zone. This should be done every month. If the container is not charged it can be taken to a fire station and they will often charge them for free.
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