Fire Extinguishers
Why do you need fire extinguishers for your home?
Fire extinguishers are the fire protection devices that are helpful in fighting fires at residential and commercial setups. There are many causes that may result in fire breakouts. This necessitates the importance of getting a fire extinguisher installed in a residential building and at work places. In fact, there has been a significant rise in number of homeowners, who prefer to buy these devices for their homes, considering the potential risk of fire at places like kitchens, garages, basements and many more. Here is a guide with information about fire extinguishing devices and tips to make best out of them.
Fire Extinguisher History
The efforts for designing a fire extinguishing device were initiated in the first half of the 18th century, though a fully-operative fire extinguisher cam into being in 1818. it consisted of potassium carbonate solution packed within compressed air in a vessel made up of copper. This was followed by the invention of soda-acid extinguishers in the later part of the 19th century. The chemical foam extinguishers, carbon tetrachloride extinguishers, carbon dioxide extinguishers and many other types were invented in different years of the 20th century.
Use of Fire Extinguisher
A fire extinguisher can be purchased for home. If you have a large home, you may thing of buying them more in number. A building with many floors should have fire extinguishing devices installed at every floor. Commercial places like supermarkets, shopping, hospitals and government offices too need to have these devices. An important thing you must understand is that a fire extinguisher is of use only for the first few moments of fire breakout. If the fire goes out of control, you must not waste time and should immediately contact the firefighting department.
You may come across different fire extinguisher varieties which may differ on the basis of a number of factors. Here are some ways of classifying these devices to make your search easier:
Mode of Operation: On the basis of how a fire extinguisher can be operated, there are two types of these devices. First is the category of stored pressure devices in which the expellant and the firefighting agents are stored in the same chamber. For example, dry chemicals as extinguishers and nitrogen as expellants are commonly used in these devices.
The second type is that of cartridge-operated fire extinguishing devices which store fire fighting substances and expellants in different chambers. These devices have the advantage that they can be easily and promptly recharged to help in the process of controlling fire.
Fire Extinguishing Agent Used: Another factor for classification is the type of fire extinguishing agent used. The most popular variety is those having dry chemicals like sodium bicarbonate, ammonium phosphate, potassium chloride and others. Another popular category is that of devices with foams as extinguishing agents. Film forming fluoroprotein and arctic fire are among the agents used in such devices. Water and wet chemicals are other extinguishing agents used in different varieties of fire extinguishing devices.
Type of Fire Sources: The most important classification of these devices is on the basis of fire sources for which they can be utilized to control and extinguish fire. These include five different categories of fire extinguishing devices:
Class A: These extinguishers are used for ordinary combustible substances like paper, wood, plastic, cardboard, cloth and thrash.
Class B: These devices are used for controlling fires caused due to flammable liquids like grease, kerosene, gasoline, paint, oil and so on.
Class C: Fires caused due to electrical devices can be extinguished using Class C extinguishers.
Class D: Sodium, magnesium and many other metals which are combustible in nature can cause fires at places like laboratories and factories. Class D extinguishers are meant for such places.
Class K: Used for fires caused by cooking oils, these extinguishers are found in restaurants and other commercial kitchens.
Besides, there are extinguishers with rated as ABC or using other class combinations which mean that they can be used for multiple fire sources.
Size: Fire extinguishing devices are also classified on the basis of their sizes. The common types are 10-pound, 5-pound, 2-pound and stove-top extinguishers. One must choose among these extinguishers considering the size of the area for which it will be used.
Prevention is always best buy Smoke Detectors.
Using Fire Extinguishers
Using a Fire Extinguisher
While purchasing and installing a fire extinguisher, you must obtain all necessary instructions for using the device from the seller. These devices have instructions printed on them in the form of texts and pictures. The usage of a fire extinguisher can be learnt with the help of a famous abbreviation called PASS. Here are the four steps involved in the process:
PULL the pin out from the extinguisher.
AIM the device at the base of the source of fire.
SQUEEZE the handle to discharge the fire extinguishing contents.
SWEEP the device all over the fire to have full control on the fire.
Safety and Maintenance of Fire Extinguisher
Fire extinguishers may not come into use for months or years. But, it should not be the excuse to overlook the safety and importance of these devices. First of all, it is important to inspect the pressure inside the extinguisher, as it may reduce with time. A good idea is to use a sensor system which signals the need of getting the extinguisher refilled. You will usually find these devices installed on walls inside the glass cases. This is done to ensure that these devices are not misused or turned useless by some intruder or a person with bad intentions. If the glass case is broken to remove the extinguisher, an alarm breaks out which convey the attempt made to misuse the device.
Annual inspection is vital for the maintenance of fire extinguishing devices. You may need to get replaced the damaged extinguisher in many situations. It is useful to maintain the record of every inspection and maintenance process to prepare the schedule for the next inspection. With little efforts, you can purchase, use and maintain a fire extinguisher and enjoy the safety that these devices offer.
