Fire safety has become a big concern for all Indian businesses. With fire accidents killing nearly 10,000 Indians every year coupled with the financial damage they cause; companies are taking an increasingly strict view of fire safety.
One of the basic building blocks of making a property fire-safe is installing fire extinguishers. But there are no one-size-fits-all fire extinguishers.
The best fire extinguisher will determine the loss a business will suffer due to fire accidents. Therefore, a business must do its due diligence while deciding on the type of fire extinguisher it needs.
Here are a few tips to decide on the best fire extinguisher for home and business:
Fire extinguisher classes.
There are several types of fire extinguishers out there in the market. To make it easier for people to buy the best type of fire extinguisher exactly suited to their needs, they have been categorized. These are the various fire extinguisher classes one needs to bear in mind while choosing the best fire extinguisher for their home or business:
Class A fire extinguishers
These are suited to putting out fires caused by regular combustible substances such as paper and wood.
Class B fire extinguishers
These helps put out fires typically caused by flammable liquids such as petroleum products, grease and oil.
Class C fire extinguishers
These are designed to put out electrical fires. So, if a building is susceptible to short circuits and fire hazards of this kind, class C fire extinguishers help to keep fire accidents at bay.
Class D fire extinguishers
These are designed to fight fires caused by flammable metals.
While these are the different types of fire extinguishers available in the market, it is not enough to just know the classes of fire extinguishers. One also must bear in mind that every person accessing the building should have adequate fire safety training and know how to use fire extinguishers.
Here’s a quick guide on how to use fire extinguishers:
- All types of fire extinguishers come with a pin. To use a fire extinguisher, one must first pull the pin to break the tamper seal.
- Next, the person using the fire extinguisher should point the extinguisher directly at the base of the fire aimed at a low angle.
- Then, the user of the fire extinguisher should squeeze the handle of the extinguisher to release the extinguishing agent. The extinguishing agent inside a fire extinguisher will be determined by the class to which a particular fire extinguisher belongs.
- The fire extinguisher should then be moved side to side and pointed to the base of the fire until the fire is extinguished. Usually, one unit of a fire extinguisher will function for 10-15 seconds.
- If the fire reignites, one needs to repeat the four steps mentioned above.
As mentioned above, the extinguishing agent inside a fire extinguisher will depend on the type of fire extinguisher one has bought from the market.
Here is a list of the typical extinguishing agents put in fire extinguishers:
- Water and foam
- Dry chemical.
- Carbon dioxide.
- Wet chemical.
- Cleaning agent.
- Dry powder.
- Water mist.
- Cartridge-operated dry chemical.
Fire accidents can be fatal for people as well as businesses. Therefore, it is critical that one buys the best type of fire extinguisher to protect from fire hazards.
Additionally, one must also ensure that fire extinguisher is in places where they are easy to access. There is usually very little time to react when there is a fire accident. Therefore, all fire safety equipment must be kept in places that are easy to locate.
If you’re looking for the right type of fire extinguisher for your business or home, head over to:
https://lntsufin.com/catalog/Safety-Products/Fire-Fighting/Fire-Extinguishers/