Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Table 9.13 Summary of the types and uses of portable fi re fi ghting extinguishers
Extinguisher/ medium Best for Danger How it works
Water Panel colour Wood, cloth, paper, plastics, Do not use on burning fat Mainly by cooling burning material.
coal, etc. Fires involving or oil or on electrical
solids appliances
Dry powder Panel Liquids such as grease, fats, Safe on live electrical Knocks down fl ames and
colour oil, paint, petrol, etc. but not equipment, does not smothers the fi re.
on chip or fat pan fi res. penetrate the spaces in
equipment easily and the
fi re may reignite. Does not
cool the fi re very well and
care should be taken that
the fi re does not reignite
Aqueous fi lm forming Wood, cloth, paper, plastics, Do not use on fl ammable Forms a fi re extinguishing fi lm on
foam (AFFF) Panel coal, etc. oil fi res the surface of a burning liquid. Has
colour Fires involving solids a cooling action with a wider
extinguishing application than water
Liquids such as grease, fats, on solid combustible materials.
oil, paint, petrol, etc. but not
on chip or fat pan fi res.
Wet chemical Panel Cooking oils and fats These extinguishers are The wet chemical agent reacts with
colour generally not recommended the burning oil or fat to form a
for home use ‘suds-like’ blanket across the fuel
surface. This ‘suds-like’ blanket
extinguishes the fi re by excluding
the air, and by preventing the
release of fl ammable vapours.
Carbon dioxide CO 2 Liquids such as grease, fats, Do not use on chip or fat. Vaporising liquid gas which
Panel colour oil paint, petrol, etc. but not This type of extinguisher smothers the fl ames by displacing
on chip or fat pan fi res. does not cool the fi re very oxygen in the air.
well and you need to watch
that the fi re does not start
up again
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Fumes from CO 2
extinguishers can be harmful
if used in confi ned spaces:
ventilate the area as soon as
the fi re has been controlled
Fire blanket Fires involving both solids If the blanket does not Smothers the fi re.
and liquids. Particularly good completely cover the fi re, it
for small fi res in clothing and will not be able to extinguish
for chip and fat pan fi res the fi re
provided the blanket
completely covers the fi re.