What are the different types of Fire Extinguishers?
There are various types of fire extinguishers that can be used when putting out a fire. What type of fire extinguisher you use should depend on what type of fire it is. There are four common types of fire classifications listed on fire extinguishers to help you better understand which one should be used. These four types are also given numerical ratings to use as a guide for the amount of fire it can handle. For instance, the higher the numerical rating, the more fire extinguishing power it has. Class A consists of solids or ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, most plastics, or cardboard. Class B consists of flammable liquids such as kerosene, grease, gasoline, or oil. Class C consists of electrical components such as appliances, outlets, circuit breakers, or wiring. This class is not given a numerical rating. “C” means it is non-conductive. Class D consists of metals such as aluminum, magnesium, potassium, or sodium. These types of fire extinguishers are often found in chemical
Fire extinguishers are classified by the kind of fire that they are designed to combat. • Class A—Fires fueled by wood, paper, cloth, rubber, plastics, and other solids • Class B—Fires fueled by flammable liquids such as oil, gasoline, and kerosene • Class C—Fires fueled by live electrical equipment • Class D—Fires fueled by flammable metals, such as sodium and magnesium A label on the fire extinguisher should state on which type(s) of fire you should use that extinguisher. In addition, the label will also tell you what size fire that extinguisher can control. Class A fires range in size from 1-40 and Class B fires range from 1-640, and a standard extinguisher has 2A:10B capability. Fire extinguishers fight certain types of fires based on the material they use to smother the flames. These are the most common materials used in fire extinguishers: • Water: Water works well on some fires, but it does not work on electrical fires and can actually serve to spread electrical fires. • Carbon
