Fire Extinguisher Use EHS4ALL Employee Safety Training

What Causes Fire??? Fire is a chemical reaction Fire requires 3 elements to exist – Oxygen – Fuel – Heat This is known as the fire triangle. – Remove any one of the elements, there is no fire.

How the Fire Triangle Works Heat – If we cool the fuel below it’s ignition point, it won’t burn. Oxygen -If we remove the oxygen from the fire it can’t burn. Fuel – If we keep combustible or flammable fuels from heat, they won’t burn.

Fire Extinguisher Media What’s inside a fire extinguisher determines what kind of fire it can extinguish. – Water works to cool fuel below an ignition point. – Carbon dioxide will dilute the oxygen so fire can’t burn. – Dry chemicals interrupt the chain reaction.

Classes of Fire Class A – fires in ordinary combustible materials (wood, paper, fabric, etc.) Class B – fires in flammable liquids (gasoline, charcoal lighter fluid, diesel fuel, cooking grease, etc.) Class C – fires in energized electrical equipment (microwave ovens, toasters, television sets, electric wall heaters, etc.)

Classes of Extinguishers Class A extinguishers- For ordinary combustible materials Class B extinguishers- for flammable liquids Class C Extinguishers- For energized electrical fires Class K Extinguishers – Wet chemical media for cooking fires in kitchens Multi purpose extinguishers – A B C extinguishers will work on all classes – 2A:10BC Match the extinguisher class to the fire class

Types of Extinguishers Class K Extinguishers Multi-purpose ABC Dry Chemical Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Extinguishers

Types of Extinguishers Water extinguishers Work on class A fires Carbon Dioxide (CO2) extinguishers remove oxygen

Types of Extinguishers Dry chemical extinguishers work on B and C fires, and some work on multiple fire types (A,B, and C). Select an ABC extinguisher and remove the guess work from the process.

Extinguisher Use Watch the video for a graphic of how to use an extinguisher.(Los Angeles City Fire Dept. CERT Program, 2012)

Operation Report emergency first! (9-1-1) Evaluate the size of the fire – Do not attempt to fight a fire larger than one cubic yard (A campus trash can or desk chair for example). 2A:10BC- (2 cubic yards A: 10 cubic yards B&C fires) – Do not let the fire get between you and your exit. Get no closer than five feet for CO2 or 15 feet for dry chemical.

PASS – Pull the pin – Aim at the base of the fire – Squeeze the trigger – Sweep from side to side

Family Fire Safety Have a current fire extinguisher. Establish a family evacuation plan. – Practice it! Install smoke detectors. Practice good housekeeping. The best fire plan is to prevent a fire!

Hazards of Home Fires The video in the next slide illustrates how fast fire can occur. The fire in this video cannot be successfully extinguished by portable fire extinguishers. Preventing fire is the best and most effective method of fighting fire.

Holiday Fire Safety According to the National Fire Protection Association 210 structure fires are caused annually by Christmas trees. These result in 24 deaths, 27 injuries, and over $13 million dollars in damage every year. Watch This Video

Summary Know the classes of fire Be able to match extinguishers to fire type Know where your extinguishers are located Know where the emergency phones are CALL and report the fire Know how to operate your extinguishers Make your home fire safe