Fire Extinguisher Tips

10/17/2017 (Permalink)

Fire

Make sure when choosing a fire extinguisher for your home or business that you choose the right class of extinguisher for the job.  Fire extinguishers are broken into classes and each class is designed to extinguish different types of fires.  Here are the different classes of extinguishers:

Class A – This is the most common extinguisher and can be used to put out fires in ordinary combustibles such as cloth, wood, rubber, paper and many plastics.

Class B – Used on fires involving flammable liquids such as grease, gasoline and oil.

Class C – Designed for fires involving appliances, tools, or other equipment electrically charged or plugged in.

Class D – For use on flammable metals; often specific for the type of metal in question.  These are typically found only in factories working with these metals.

Class K – Intended for use on fires that involve vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats in cooking appliances.  These extinguishers are generally found in commercial kitchens, but are becoming more popular in the residential market for use in kitchens.

***Information provided by the National Fire Protection Association.