Presented By: Adebayo Johnson 17th December 2012

Criteria cover installations for Class A, B, C, D, and K hazards The selection, inspection, maintenance, recharging, and testing of portable fire extinguishing equipment. Includes a list of obsolete fire extinguishers that should be removed from service

Portable fire extinguishers are classified to indicate their ability to handle specific classes and sizes of fires. Labels on extinguishers indicate the class and relative size of fire that they can be expected to handle. Colour coding also indicate content and type of extinguisher

In order to choose the right type fire extinguisher, you must know what type of fire you are attempting to control.

CAUTION If you are not sure, your best course of action is to leave the area and activate the fire alarm.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has divided fires into four types, determined by the materials or fuel being burned. There is also a newest class.making them five There are three major types.based on occurrence Extinguishers are labeled as to which of the four types of fire they are effective in controlling.

Class A A Class A fire is the most common type of fire. This fire is fueled by common materials such as wood, paper, rubber, plastics or cloth. This type of fire leaves an ash behind after burning and has an ember flame. To extinguish this type of fire, the temperature has to be brought down using water or a general-use fire extinguisher. Class B A Class B fire is fueled by flammable and combustible liquids. A flammable liquid must be burning at room temperature in order to be a Class B fire, and a combustible liquid must be heated to its flammable point to be classified as Class B. Some flammable and combustible liquids included in this classification are petroleum, tars, oil-based paints, oil, alcohols, lacquers, solvents and flammable gases. Water may not always extinguish these types of fires, and it is best to use a layer of foam from a Class B fire extinguisher. Class C A Class C fire is a fire that can be classified as an A or B fire, but that involves electrical equipment as well. These types of fires cannot be extinguished with water or Class A/B fire extinguishers. Carbon dioxide or a dry chemical agent fire extinguisher must be used on this type of fire. Class D A Class D fire is characterized by combustible metals. These metals can include potassium, magnesium, titanium, Zirconium or lithium. Automobiles contain most of these types of combustible metals. A Class D fire burns at an exceptionally high temperature, and when water is used on these types of fires it can actually break down into hydrogen and oxygen and fuel the fire further. Special powders such as sodium chloride, dry sand or salt can extinguish this type of fire. Class K Class K is the newest NFPA classification of fire. This classification includes appliances involved in cooking that ignite using a combustible medium such as cooking oil, other fats and alcohols.

There are two main types of fire extinguishers: stored pressure and cartridge-operated. Stored pressure: Have the expellant stored in the same chamber as the firefighting agent itself. Depending on the agent used, different propellants are used. With dry chemical extinguishers, nitrogen is typically used; water and foam extinguishers typically use air. Stored pressure fire extinguishers are the most common type. Cartridge-operated These extinguishers contain the expellant gas in a separate cartridge that is punctured prior to discharge, exposing the propellant to the extinguishing agent. Not common; they are used primarily in areas such as industrial facilities, where they receive higher-than-average use. They have the advantage of simple and prompt recharge, allowing an operator to discharge the extinguisher, recharge it, and return to the fire in a reasonable amount of time. Use compressed carbon dioxide instead of nitrogen, although nitrogen cartridges are used on low temperature.

Water extinguishers water fire extinguishers discharge a stream of water onto the fire, lowering the temperature of the burning material to below ignition point. They are good for Type A Fires only. You cannot use a water extinguisher for a Type B fire as flammable liquids are lighter than water and will float on the surface of the water. This will simply aid in the spread of the fire. You cannot use a water extinguisher on a Type C fire, (electrical fire), because you run the risk of receiving an electrical shock. Water is an electrical conductor. As the water spreads out, the chance of electrocution increases. There are special water mist extinguishers that work well on a Type A & C fires. Such extinguishers are ideal for Class A fires where a potential Class C hazard exists. The misting nozzle provides safety from electric shock and reduces the scattering of burning materials. CO2 extinguishers: A CO2 extinguisher is not a good choice for a Type A fire, (wood, paper, cloth), because of the force of the CO2 gas being expelled from the extinguisher. When this type of extinguisher is used on a wood, paper or cloth fire, the burning items are blown around the room by the force of the CO2 gas, thereby aiding the spread of the fire. Secondly, a Type A fire will usually reignite as soon as the CO2 gas dissipates. The CO2 extinguisher works well on flammable liquids or an electrical fire Types B or C fires. So, you will often find a CO2 fire extinguisher next to precious electrical equipment, from switchgear to mobile discos. In most office, workplace, factory or warehouse situations, the best combination is to have a water additive or foam unit alongside your CO2 extinguisher, for maximum fire fighting ability.

Dry chemical extinguishers: The multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher for Type A, B, or C fires is most common. They have the most range of compatibility with items and are good for most types of fires. A Type BC fire extinguishers contain sodium or potassium bicarbonate and a Type ABC fire extinguishers contain ammonium phosphate. They have an advantage over CO2 extinguishers in that they leave a blanket of non-flammable material on the extinguished material which reduces the likelihood of re-ignition. However, they make quite a mess and the fine powder will irritate the throat and lungs.

The contents of these cylinders can pack down over time and when a person goes to use them they may not fire (work). If this happens, turn the cylinder over and rap it sharply on the top to loosen the compacted powder inside. Then try firing the cylinder again. If the cylinder will not fire leave the area immediately. All fire extinguishers have fire ratings stamped on them. You should familiarise yourself with this rating. For example, a dry chemical cylinder may have 2A, 10 BC stamped on it; this means that the contents of the cylinder are enough to fight 2 square meters of a Type A fire or 10 square meters of a Type B or C fire. Higher numbers mean more firefighting power. Type D fire: flammable solids: Flammable solids (alkyllithiums, Grignards and diethylzinc) require a Class D extinguisher.. Type D fires burn at high temperatures and the metals will react violently with water, air, and/or other chemicals. This type of fire requires special metal/sand extinguishers. They work by simply smothering the fire with powdered copper metal or sodium chloride (NaCl). The type of class D extinguisher depends upon the type of flammable metals you have; you will require the copper extinguishing medium for lithium and lithium alloy metals; the sodium chloride extinguisher works better for fires involving magnesium, sodium, potassium, uranium and powdered aluminum.

After removing the fire extinguisher from its mount, twist the pin in order to break the plastic seal and then pull the pin out of the handle. Approach the fire with the extinguisher pointed at the base of the fire. Squeeze the handle and continue to aim at the base of the fire. Sweep the extinguisher from side to side, still aiming at the base of the fire. After the fire appears to be out or your extinguisher has been fully discharged, back away from the fire and seek safety outside of the building.

P - Pull the Pin A - Aim at the base of the fire S - Squeeze the handle S - Sweep from side to side
CAUTION: Extinguishers will work for

approximately 30 seconds. If you have not put the fire out by that time, leave the area immediately.

.http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCo des.asp?DocNum=10 www.uncg.edu/sft/extinguisher2.html http://www.enggcyclopedia.com/2011/11/classific ation-fires-hazards-nfpa/ http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/safety/exting uisher/classes.shtml http://www.fireextinguishertraining.com/intro.htm l?language=en&industry=other