Do You Have The Correct Type Of Fire Extinguisher In Your New Castle, DE Property

10/5/2017 (Permalink)

Have Questions about Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage? Call Us Today – (302) 392-6000

5 Types of Fire Extinguishers    

Portable fire extinguishers can save lives and property when a small, contained fire breaks out in your New Castle County, DE home or business. Different types of fire extinguishers fight different types of fire  and using the wrong one may make the fire worse. Would you know which to use? The following information can help you be better prepared in case of a fire.

Use The Correct Fire Extinguisher For The Fire

There are five classes of fire, each involving a different material. Determine what type of fire extinguisher you own by looking for the symbol on the label and matching it to one of the descriptions below. 

Many homes and businesses use multipurpose fire extinguishers that are good for three classes of fires – A, B and C. If you already own a fire extinguisher, check the label to see what class of fire it is good for. Be on the lookout for these standard symbols. If you see a red slash through a picture, it means that the extinguisher should not be used on that class of fire. 

CLASS A: ORDINARY COMUSTIBLES

Fire extinguishers marked with the “A” Symbol should be used to contain fires involving ordinary combustibles, including paper, wood, cloth, trash, rubber and plastic.

CLASS B: FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS

Fire extinguishers marked with the “B” Symbol should be used to contain fires involving flammable liquid – oil, grease, gasoline, paint, solvents and tar.

CLASS C: ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

Fire extinguishers marked with the “C” Symbol should be used to contain fires involving electrical equipment including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery and appliances that have electricity running through them. It’s important to use this extinguisher because its contents do not conduct electricity, while the others do.

CLASS D: COMBUSTIBLE METALS

Fire extinguishers marked with the “D” Symbol should be used to contain fires involving combustible metals like magnesium, titanium, zirconium,. Sodium, lithium and potassium.

CLASS K: COMUSTIBLE COOKING

Fire extinguishers marked with the “K” Symbol should be used to contain fires involving combustible cooking – kitchen fires involving large amounts of heating grease  including paper, wood, cloth, trash, rubber and plastic.

Fight or Flee

Once you know what type of fire extinguisher to use, you will need to understand when and how to use it. You may only have moments since small fires can grow into large ones in a matter of seconds. If you are not sure whether it is safe to fight the fire, you should leave the scene, call 911 and let the fire department control it.

Fire extinguishers, correctly used on the type of fire they are intended for, can have a large role in stopping major fire damage and dollar losses. When walking by a fire extinguisher, you'll know that all of the letters and numbers have specific meanings and why it is located where it is.

If your business experiences a fire loss, call the fire and water damage restoration experts at SERVPRO of Bear/New Castle, DE and we’ll respond immediately to get you back to business.

• 24 Hour Emergency Service
• Faster to Any Size Disaster
• A Trusted Leader in the Fire and Water Restoration Industry with over 1,700 Franchises
• Highly Trained Fire and Water Damage Restoration Specialists

Until help arrives, please refer to our Fire Damage Tips—Until Help Arrives Guide and follow these tips to protect yourself and your property.

Have Smoke or Fire Damage? Call (302) 392-6000