Fire Extinguisher Types and Uses

A fire extinguisher recharge is a necessity after any use for safety purposes and is something every building owner/operator should stay on top of. If you have never had to refill and extinguisher or are looking to purchase one for your space here are the different types of extinguishers and when to get a fire extinguisher recharge.

• Class A: The Class A fire extinguisher is efficient for putting out fires involving solids such as paper, plastic or wood.

• Class B: This type of extinguisher is handy to have around in garages and kitchens because it will put out fires that contain flammable liquids like gas and oil.

• Class C: Propane, methane, butane are all flammable gasses and a Class C fire extinguisher would be your best bet for battling this type of fire.
• Class D: The Class D may be the least commonly kept extinguisher as its intended purpose is to put out a fire involving metals like aluminum and titanium to name a couple.

• Class E: Any fire involving electrical aspects should be contained with a Class E extinguisher and although foam extinguishers aren’t suitable for these types of fires, if you do not have a class C using another type would be better than using straight water.

• Automatic Systems: There are many different automatic systems available today for commercial cooking areas, these systems come on automatically when a fire is detected.

With over 8 thousand commercial kitchen fires reported every year, automatic extinguishing systems should be checked by a qualified fire extinguisher service at least every six months. Since 57% of fires in a restaurant involve cooking equipment it is particularly important to get fire extinguisher servicing regularly for kitchen areas.

Now in order to keep your fire extinguisher in tip top working condition you can request fire extinguisher inspections from companies who specialize in this or if you own a commercial building mandatory inspections of the apparatus may be mandatory anyway. Recharging involves refilling the device with the agent and should be done after any use even if there is still some left, or if necessary calling fire extinguisher services to find an expert when unable to do so yourself may be in your best interest.

Always make sure you refill the canister with the correct chemical agent based on the Class, for example, you don’t want to put out an electrical fire with a Class A fire extinguisher since this can be a disaster so make sure you aren’t putting Class A liquid in a Class E extinguisher. If cannot figure out how to refill your extinguisher and you need to call for a service for fire extinguisher recharge make sure you contact a company that is certified for the job.