Health and safety plays a huge role in your business and is of paramount importance when it comes to keeping staff, customers and visitors safe in the event of an emergency. There is a multitude of items to tick off the health and safety checklist, whether they be advisable or required by law, and one of those is fire extinguishers.

“Does my business need a fire extinguisher” is often asked by business who believe they’re too small to warrant one, however government guidelines suggest that even one-room shops should have at least one at their disposal. Stocking up with just any fire extinguisher often isn’t enough for a lot of businesses, as each type helps to put out a different form of fire.

Below, we’ve explained the types of fire extinguishers to help you make informed buying choices:

 

Types Of Fire Extinguishers

 

Water

Water fire extinguishers are ideal for fighting ‘Type A’ fires, or solids, which includes wood, paper, plastic, sugar, upholstery and more. These extinguishers work by cooling the fire and removing heat.

Foam

Foam extinguishers are ideal for fighting ‘Type A & B’ fires, which includes solids, as mentioned in the water extinguishers, but with the addition of flammable liquids. It extinguishes ‘Type A’ solid fires by cooling and removing heat, whereas with ‘Type B’ flammable liquid fires, it creates a foaming film over the surface of the liquid and excludes oxygen.

CO2

CO2 fights electrical fires and ‘Type B’ flammable liquid fires. The reason Electrical isn’t classified as a type of fire iis because it isn’t. Unlike Type A, B, C, D & F, which are all types of fuel that burn, electrical is a source of ignition. One of the benefits of CO2 fire extinguishers is that they leave no mess after use, whilst smothering the fire and effectively extinguishing it.

Wet Chemical

Wet Chemical extinguishers are specifically design to fight ‘Type F’ fires, usually involving cooking oil and fat, using a method called saponification (or, ‘turning to soap’).  It also has a cooling effect, therefore making it useful at fighting ‘Type A’ fires.

 Powder

Powder extinguishers are recommended for all businesses to have at least one, and this is mainly due to their all-encompassing fire fighting qualities. It is a multi-class extinguisher, meaning it can handle solids, flammable liquids, gases and electrical fires.

It’s a fast acting extinguisher, and the combination of speed of knock-down and impressive versatility make it a very popular choice. The disadvantages of Power extinguishers are that it has very minimal cooling effects, so re-ignition can be a risk, as well as the mess it leaves behind.

 

Servicing

In the same way you get an MOT for your car every year to ensure it is safe to drive, all fire extinguishers require a ‘basic service’ annually to ensure to that they will work in the event of a fire.

 

CO2

CO2 extinguisher must have an annual service, but then every 10 years, they must be sent away to be hydraulically tested, refilled, re-sealed and stamped with a re-charge date to certify that you have done your part and it is good for another ten years. It is more commonplace, however, to switch out your unit, rather than wait for it to be re-charged.

 

All other stored-pressure Extinguishers

Other stored pressure extinguishers all have a 20 year life span, but with this extended lifespan comes a more intricate servicing schedule. They must go through a an extended service every 5 years (5, 10, 15), which involves completely discharging the extinguisher, stripping the unit, inspecting the internal body casing, refilling, re-sealing and recharging with nitrogen.

 

 

View our handy infographic on this below:

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER-guide

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