Fire Extinguisher Use

EHS4ALLEmployee Safety Training

What Causes Fire???

• Fire is a chemical reaction• Fire requires 3 elements to exist

– Oxygen– Fuel– Heat

• This is known as the fire triangle.– Remove any one of the elements, there is no fire.

How the Fire Triangle Works

• Heat – If we cool the fuel below it’s ignition point, it won’t burn.

• Oxygen -If we remove the oxygen from the fire it can’t burn.

• Fuel – If we keep combustible or flammable fuels from heat, they won’t burn.

Fire Extinguisher Media• What’s inside a fire extinguisher

determines what kind of fire it can extinguish.– Water works to cool fuel below an ignition

point.– Carbon dioxide will dilute the oxygen so

fire can’t burn.– Dry chemicals interrupt the chain reaction.

Classes of Fire

• Class A – fires in ordinary combustible materials (wood, paper, fabric, etc.)

• Class B – fires in flammable liquids (gasoline, charcoal lighter fluid, diesel fuel, cooking grease, etc.)

• Class C – fires in energized electrical equipment (microwave ovens, toasters, television sets, electric wall heaters, etc.)

Classes of Extinguishers • Class A extinguishers- For ordinary combustible

materials• Class B extinguishers- for flammable liquids• Class C Extinguishers- For energized electrical fires• Class K Extinguishers – Wet chemical media for

cooking fires in kitchens• Multi purpose extinguishers

– A B C extinguishers will work on all classes – 2A:10BC• Match the extinguisher class to the fire class

Types of Extinguishers

Class K Extinguishers

Multi-purpose ABC Dry Chemical

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Extinguishers

Types of Extinguishers

• Water extinguishers• Work on class A fires

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) extinguishers remove oxygen

Types of Extinguishers

•Dry chemical extinguishers work on B and C fires, and some work on multiple fire types (A,B, and C).• Select an ABC extinguisher and remove the guess work from the process.

Extinguisher Use

Watch the video for a graphic of how to use an extinguisher.(Los Angeles City Fire Dept. CERT Program, 2012)

Operation

• Report emergency first! (9-1-1)• Evaluate the size of the fire

– Do not attempt to fight a fire larger than one cubic yard (A campus trash can or desk chair for example). 2A:10BC- (2 cubic yards A: 10 cubic yards B&C fires)

– Do not let the fire get between you and your exit.• Get no closer than five feet for CO2 or 15 feet for dry

chemical.

PASS

–Pull the pin

–Aim at the base of the fire

–Squeeze the trigger

–Sweep from side to side

Family Fire Safety• Have a current fire

extinguisher.• Establish a family

evacuation plan.– Practice it!

• Install smoke detectors.

• Practice good housekeeping. The best fire plan is to prevent a fire!

Hazards of Home Fires

• The video in the next slide illustrates how fast fire can occur.

• The fire in this video cannot be successfully extinguished by portable fire extinguishers.

• Preventing fire is the best and most effective method of fighting fire.

Holiday Fire Safety

• According to the National Fire Protection Association 210 structure fires are caused annually by Christmas trees.

• These result in 24 deaths, 27 injuries, and over $13 million dollars in damage every year.

Watch This Video

Summary

• Know the classes of fire• Be able to match extinguishers to fire type• Know where your extinguishers are located• Know where the emergency phones are• CALL 9-1-1 and report the fire• Know how to operate your extinguishers• Make your home fire safe