Fire extinguishers are a great tool to combat a fire in its early stages. But you need to choose the correct one for them to be effective. Below is a list of the most common fire extinguishers found in the workplace and the classes of fire they combat:
- Dry chemical powder extinguisher: effective on wood, paper, plastic, flammable liquids and electrical fires. This is the most common fire extinguisher in the workplace
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) extinguisher: effective on electrical fires as well as small wood, paper, plastic and flammable liquid fires. CAUTION: CO2 extinguishers work by displacing oxygen. Care is to be taken when operating this extinguisher in confined spaces
- Foam extinguisher: effective on flammale liquid as well as wood, paper and plastic fires. It works by isolating the oxygen from the flammable liquids and in th case of wood, it works by cooling the fuel
It is a best practice, to familiarise yourself with your own workplace to know which fire extinguishers are available and their locations. This will speed up response time.
Please note, fire extinguishers are notorious for suspect reliability. They need to be serviced every six months by a qualified fire company like ALCAN Fire Safety.
Please feel welcome to contact us today, should you need further fire extinguisher training or to get your fire extinguishers maintained by our Perth based company.
