Choose The Right Fire Extinguisher For Your Settlement

Fire fatalities are a tragedy and do cause considerable loss of life. Much of this also has to do with improper fire extinguisher installations throughout a particular building. Having a suitable extinguisher will prepare you in case a fire breaks out.

Oregon reports 7.7 deaths and 47.4 injuries every 1000 fires. This number can be brought down further if people are well-informed about the fire extinguishers around them and how to use them. You need to assess every room assigned for fire extinguisher installation and ensure it can curb the fire in that surrounding area.

Read on further to understand the various classes and types of fire extinguishers, and contact reliable fire extinguishers, Portland, OR for efficient installation.

Classes of fire extinguishers

There isn’t a single fire extinguisher that works for every kind of fire. Here are four classes of fire extinguishers based on the types of fire they can douse:

  1. Class A: Capable of putting out fires caused by ordinary combustibles (paper, wood, cloth, etc.)
  2. Class B: Capable of putting out fires caused by combustible liquids (oil, grease, gasoline, paints, lacquers, etc.)
  3. Class C: Capable of putting out fires that are caused by electricity and electrical equipment (appliances, motors, wiring, machinery)
  4. Class D: Capable of putting out fires that are caused due to flammable metals (Lithium, Titanium)

Types of fire extinguishers

The various types of fire extinguishers that you can use in fire emergencies are as follows:

  1. Water and foam
  • It is generally used around fueling stations, commercial storage facilities, manufacturing plants, etc.
  • These fire extinguishers usually douse class A and class B fires.
  • Water fire extinguishers are generally used in class A situations, whereas the foam ones can be used for classes A and B alike.
  1. Carbon dioxide
  • It is generally used in class B and C fires.
  • They are used in situations that involve contamination of some sort or areas that need cleanup. Hence, this includes commercial settings like laboratories, food storage facilities, telecommunication rooms, etc.
  1. Dry chemical
  • These fire extinguishers are used in class B and C fires. They are
  • Typically employed in places like boats, garages, laboratories, automobiles, etc.
  • They release a layer of chemical powder, which coats the flame, cuts off its oxygen supply, and puts it off.
  • This acts as a roadblock in the chemical reaction of fire, making them quite effective.

So, be it warehouses, organic materials, storage units, or schools, you can keep dry chemical fire extinguishers handy.

  1. Clean agent
  • To understand what this extinguisher does, you must first understand what a clean agent is. It is an extinguishing gas containing tetrafluoroethane, carbon dioxide, and pentafluoroethane, used to douse gaseous fires.
  • Hence, it is used in class B and C fires that generally involve oil, petrol, butane, and other similar substances.
  1. Halotron
  • Halotron fire extinguishers are usually appropriate for class A, B and C fires.

It would help if you have a detailed understanding of the various types of fire extinguishers and how they work before you set up a fire extinguisher.

Get in touch with reliable fire extinguishers Portland, OR, assess the surrounding area, and set up fire extinguishers accordingly. Do this properly, and you might just end up saving quite a few lives in the unfortunate event of a fire breakout.

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