Fire Fighting Course: Everything You Need to Know About Fire Extinguishers

Thanks to the invention of fire extinguishers, many household or workplace fires have been quickly extinguished before they could turn into catastrophic events. Despite how essential fire extinguishers are in protecting your home or workplace from the dangers of a fire, many people do not know much about fire extinguishers or how to use them. From the different types of fire extinguishers to how to use a fire extinguisher to maintaining and storing your fire extinguisher, we cover all the essentials on fire extinguishers in this brief guide. Gain the essential fire extinguisher skills and the confidence to handle a fire emergency with an EMCARE fire fighting course.

Everything You Need to Know About Fire Extinguishers:

Despite there being a fire extinguisher (or multiple fire extinguishers) in all public areas, workplaces, and residential homes, many people do not feel confident in their understanding of fire extinguishers. Having a firm grasp on how to use, maintain, and store your fire extinguisher is essential in keeping yourself and others protected during a fire emergency. If you have some queries about fire extinguishers, we have you covered with our brief guide to fire extinguishers.

1) Different Fire Extinguisher Types and Uses:

A common misconception about fire extinguishers is that there is only one type of extinguisher that can be used on all types of fires. Fire extinguishers will contain either water, a foam spray, ABC powder, carbon dioxide, or a wet chemical, and subsequently can only be used on specific classes of fire. To assist with understanding the different fire extinguisher types and uses, we have created a brief printable table outlining the differences.

Fire Class	Fire Type	Type of Extinguisher
Class A	Wood, paper, clothing, furniture, etc.	Water / Foam Spray / ABC Dry Powder / Class F Wet Chemical
Class B	Flammable liquids, such as gasoline, solvents, and alcohol.	Foam Spray / ABC Dry Powder / Carbon Dioxide
Class C	Flammable gases, such as propane, LPG, and natural gasses.	ABC Dry Powder
Class D	Metals	Class D Powder
Class F	Cooking oils and fats.	Class F Wet Chemical
Electrical	Electrical.	ABC Dry Powder / Carbon Dioxide

2) How to Use a Fire Extinguisher:

Fire extinguishers are essential pieces of firefighting equipment that can quickly put out a fire in a home or workplace before it becomes out of control. To ensure that anyone can make use of a fire extinguisher during a fire emergency, they have been designed to be extremely easy to use. We have highlighted the four simple steps of using a fire extinguisher.

1. Pull the Pin: Standing at a safe distance from the fire, hold the fire extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you. Pull the pin to release the locking mechanism.
2. Aim: Aim the nozzle of the fire extinguisher at the source or base of the fire.
3. Squeeze: Squeeze the two handles of the fire extinguisher together.
4. Sweep: Move the nozzle in a sweeping motion to cover the base of the fire.

3) How Many Fire Extinguishers You Need:

Every home and workplace must have at least one fire extinguisher, but you may require more fire extinguishers depending on the size of the space. You may also require a variety of types of fire extinguishers in your workplace depending on the fire risks associated with your workplace activities. If you need an exact number of fire extinguishers required for the size of your home or workplace, you can learn this essential skill in the fire risk assessment module in a fire fighting course.

4) How to Store Fire Extinguishers:

Fire extinguishers must be stored in a visible and easily accessible location in your home or workplace. They must be stored in an upright position to prevent any negative effects on the functioning of the fire extinguisher. Your fire extinguisher should be kept out of direct sunlight and far from any extreme heat sources.

5) Fire Extinguisher Inspection and Maintenance:

To ensure that your fire extinguisher will function correctly during a fire emergency, you need to perform routine inspections and maintenance on your fire extinguisher. Fire extinguisher maintenance should be done by a professional who will ensure that any necessary repair, recharging, or replacement is performed. With maintenance performed once a year, your fire extinguisher should have a lifespan of five to fifteen years.

Every 6 months, you should perform an inspection on your fire extinguisher. This inspection is a brief once-over to assess the condition of your fire extinguisher. We have outlined the aspects to inspect in your fire extinguisher.

• Look for any physical damages to the fire extinguisher, such as dents in the metal or holes in the nozzle.
• Ensure that the pin and nozzle are still intact.
• Check that the fire extinguisher pressure gauge is pointed at the green zone.
• Make sure that there are no obstructions to accessing the fire extinguisher.
• Once finished with your inspection, update your fire extinguisher inspection tag.

Learn About Fire Extinguishers in EMCARE’s Fire Fighting Course:

If you are looking to gain further understanding about fire extinguishers, you can enrol in an EMCARE fire fighting course. Each EMCARE fire fighting course will cover firefighting mediums, how to use a fire extinguisher confidently, and how to store and maintain your fire extinguisher. An EMCARE fire fighting course will ensure that you walk away with a competent understanding of fire extinguishers.

Stopping fires from spreading with a fire extinguisher is only one of the essential skills you will learn in an EMCARE fire fighting course. Each EMCARE fire fighting course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills on how to prevent fires, create a prepared environment for a fire, how to handle an emergency fire, and how to ensure your safety at all times. We have briefly listed our three fire fighting courses that will all provide you with the confidence to handle a fire emergency at home or in the workplace.

• Basic Fire Awareness Course.
• Basic Fire Fighting Course.
• Intermediate Fire Fighting Course.

Handle a fire emergency with a fire extinguisher confidently with the training from EMCARE’s fire fighting course.