Spots Fire Safety Tips

We all know how dangerous a fire can be. We all know that it can tear down an entire house, inflict serious injuries, and even cause death. This is why, most homeowners know how crucial it is to equip their homes with fire protection devices like fire extinguishers. However, if you are like most new homeowners who are not familiar with the different kinds of extinguishers, it may be baffling for you when it is time to buy one because there are just so many choices available. This may lead you to asking, “Which fire extinguisher is ideal for my home?” These pieces of practical information about the various types of extinguishers would help answer that question.

Water Fire Extinguisher

A water extinguisher is designed to put out Class A fires or those that involve paper, wood, clothing, furnishing, plastic, rubber, and other solid organic materials. While some homeowners choose this reliable extinguisher because it can curb many types of fire, others tend to stay away from it to avoid having a member of the family accidentally use it for electrical fires, as this can cause worsening of the fire and electrocution.

Foam Fire Extinguisher

The foam extinguisher is intended for Class A and B fires. Class B fires involve flammable liquids. This particular extinguisher is ideal for use at the garage where most flammable liquids like gasoline, petrol, paints, oils, and so on, are usually stored.

Powder Fire Extinguisher

The multi-purpose power of powder makes it the perfect choice for most homes. It can curb Class A, Class B, and also Class C fires (flammable gases). And although it is not designed for electrical fires, it is relatively safe and effective to use for fires involving electrical equipment. Install this extinguisher in the main area of the house like in the living area or the dining room.

CO2 Fire Extinguisher

The CO2 extinguisher, meanwhile, is the one specifically designed for fires that originated from electrical equipment whether it is caused by overloaded sockets, frayed cords, or malfunctioning of the appliance. This extinguisher is best installed in the area of the house where most electrical appliances are located like in the living room or the entertainment room.

Wet Chemical Fire Extinguisher

Finally, the wet chemical extinguisher is the one responsible for putting out fires that originate from grease, cooking oil, and deep fat fryers. Needless to say, it is the perfect extinguisher to put in the kitchen as it can easily curb kitchen fire before it grows out of control and spreads to other parts of the house.

Ultimately, it is just a matter of determining the kind of fire hazards present in your home. It is also best that you get a different type of extinguisher for a particular area of the house (wet chemical for the kitchen, powder for the living room, and foam for the garage, and so on). The important thing is that you know the purpose of each kind so you know which one to use for a particular type of fire.

Tweet This Post

When you are in a building and you hear the blaring sound of the fire alarm, what is the first thing that comes into your mind? You would most probably hear a lot of “Escape! Escape!” in your mind. This is your brain telling you to get out of the premises as fast as you can.

Surely, escaping during a fire is one of the most important things you need to do. This is why, ensuring proper means of escape is crucial so that people are able to get out of a burning premises safely and quickly.

If you own a business or manage a company, ensuring proper means of escape through fire emergency exits is one of your prime duties. This is not only for your own sake but also for the sake of your customers, clients and employees.

Here are the necessary arrangements you need to oversee so that evacuation in your area can easily be carried out.

1. Ensure that the escape route is as short as possible. As you know, every second counts during an emergency. If it takes forever to get to the emergency exit, it is most probable that more people would be injured and some would even die. So as much possible, plan a means of escape that is near all areas to reduce travel time to that point.
2. Consider the number of people that will be using an emergency exit. If an entire floor of the building would only go out through one fire exit, some of them may not be able to get out safely.
3. See to it that all escape routes have clear passageways. All fire exits should be free of any obstructions. Using the fire exit for storing stock is never a good idea. Ensure that passageways are at least a metre wide. Passageways that are more than 30 metres long, or 45 metres in offices need to be divided into equal parts using fire doors.
4. Make proper arrangements for the elderly and disabled. See to it that there are facilities that are specially designed for their quick and easy evacuation of the building.
5. Inform and train all employees in how to escape the building. Doing fire drills once or twice a year is necessary to harness the employees’ abilities to escape the burning premises quickly and easily.
6. Install an emergency lighting system all over the area. This is important so that when the electricity goes out, the place would not be pitch dark.
7. Put appropriate signs for the exit routes. This would help people get out the building quickly.

Aside from proper means of emergency escape, you also need to train your staff and employees on the proper usage of fire suppression equipment like fire extinguishers. For most businesses, the multi-purpose powder fire extinguisher is ideal to use as it is designed to put out three major types of fire (Class A, B, and C). Invite a firefighter to demonstrate and teach your employees on how to use the fire extinguisher the right way.

Tweet This Post

Fire extinguishers are the initial response to fire detection, as these are designed to tackle fires while they are still small and not yet spreading. They are effective in controlling fire before it inflicts further damage and serious injuries. This is why, it is crucial for home and business owners to equip their property with this kind of safety device.

One good way to buy a fire extinguisher is via the online market. Not only does this route provide you with ultimate convenience, it would also save you a lot of money because the online market offers much more competitive prices than the traditional market.

If you are not familiar about buying a fire extinguisher or shopping online, here are the steps you need to do in order for you to get the best quality fire extinguisher online.

Step 1 – Find a reputable online store

First thing is to find a reputable online store that sells high quality fire extinguishers. When you browse the net, search for stores that sell extinguishers with genuine BSi Kitemark, BS EN3 and BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) certifications.

Do a quick probe on the store’s background and customer service by calling up their customer representative to see how well they handle concerns and queries. Another way would be to get in touch with former clients to find out if they were satisfied with the product they bought from the store.

Moreover, study about the store’s policies on shipping, fees, penalties, privacy, cancellations, returns, and refunds so you will not encounter any problem in the future. Make sure too that the store is equipped with high-tech secure system for credit card transactions to protect your credit card and personal information from hackers and thieves.

Step 2 – Determine the type of extinguisher to buy

As you probably know, fire extinguishers come in different kinds. You need to get the correct type so that you would be able to put out the fire effectively and not put yourself in danger. For most homes, the ideal extinguisher is the powder fire extinguisher, which can fight multi types of fires namely Class A (wood, clothing, paper), Class B (flammable liquids), and Class C (flammable gases).

For businesses, it is best that you determine first the nature of your business so you can find a suitable extinguisher. For example, if you have a computer shop or electrical appliances store, the best option would have to be CO2 fire extinguishers, the only extinguishers safe to use for electrical fires.

Step 3 – Place an order

After you determined the right extinguisher to buy, you can now submit your order by filling up an order form. You would need to put in your personal and credit card information to complete the purchase. You do not have anything to worry about if you have chosen to buy from a secure store. Wait for several days until your order arrives and do a thorough examination to see if it is in tiptop condition.

Of course, buying an extinguisher is not the end of this. Once you have made your purchase, you need to undergo trainings on how to use it properly so that when the time comes that an actual fire situation happens, you would know exactly how to respond to it.

Tweet This Post

A fire extinguisher is not at all a decorative item. It serves a purpose, a practical one for that matter. It is designed to curb small incipient flames before they grow big enough to inflict serious injuries and extensive damage. With this said, it is important that you just do not stare at your fire extinguisher while it sits in one corner collecting dust. It is imperative that you learn to use it properly so if ever the time comes that there is an actual fire emergency, you would know exactly what to do.

Unless you have an automatic fire extinguisher installed in your home, you need to learn these practical steps on how to use a fire extinguisher the right way.

Step 1 – Determine the circumstances.

First, you have to find the fire and see if it is still small and not yet spreading. Remember, you cannot use a fire extinguisher on a fire that had already grown big and out of control. For this circumstance, the smartest thing to do would be to get out of the premises as fast as you can.

Another thing you should determine is if you have the right fire extinguisher at hand. Fire extinguishers come in different types. You need to use the correct type for the fire occurring not only to extinguish the flames effectively but also to prevent further damage and serious injuries.

Also, you need to ensure that you have your back towards the exit as you fight the fire. If this is not possible, just flee the area as quickly as you can. Lastly, fight the flames only if you are confident about doing so. If you are faint-hearted or you are not sure about what to do, just escape the premises right away.

Step 2 – Use the PASS method.

Using a fire extinguisher is relatively easy. You just have to remember the PASS code, which stands for:

P – Pull the safety pin. This is the first step to be done to get the fire extinguisher to work.

A – Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire. Take note, aim at the base and not at the flames. The reason for this is that the fire will not be put out if you only tackle the flames.

S – Squeeze the lever gently. This would release the extinguishing agent from the tank.

S – Sweep from side to side. This is to completely extinguish the entire fire.

Repeat the final step over and over until the fire is completely out.

Step 3 – Make the call.

Even after you have completely put out the flames, you should still contact the fire brigade to inform them about what just happened. Firefighters would come to your house to inspect the fire and ensure that nothing re-ignites.

Learning to use a fire extinguisher is just one aspect of fire safety. You must also learn about spots fire safety tips, fire preventive measures, emergency preparedness, and so many more. All of these are important to ensure your security and protection against the possibility of a fire accident.

Tweet This Post