Water - Class A Fires General materials, carpet, curtains, paper, wood etc. - not to be used on electrical equipment or hot oil.

Foam - Class A and B Fires General materials (above) and flammable liquids.

CO2 - Class B and Electrical Fires Electrical Equipment and flammable liquid.

Powder - Class A B C and Electrical Fires - General materials, flammable liquids, flammable gas, Electrical Equipment. Dry powder is not recommended for use in offices, as it causes lots of damage, however, this is ideal for industrial applications, as well as the car or kitchen.

Wet Chemical - Class F Fires - Cooking Oil

 

 

Fire Extinguishers - More Information

Each year
Fire extinguishers save the UK economy over £500 million. Prevent over 1,500 injuries. Successfully extinguish the fire in over 80% of instances.

Regulations
By law, all employers must provide staff with adequate means of tackling a fire in the workplace. There is also a legal obligation for a competent person to at least, annually service the fire fighting equipment to the standard of BS 5306 part 3. This is explained in the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations, regulation 6: ’Where it is necessary to provide extinguishing equipment to safeguard employees in the event of fire, this equipment shall be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.’ As well as the annual inspection by a competent person, workplaces must also ensure that they carry out their own checks, at least monthly.

Look for:
Any sign of tampering. This may be missing or broken tamper tags or pins. Any signs of discharge. This may be water, powder or foam traces on the hose or horn of the extinguisher. Gauges showing low or high pressure. Any damage to fire extinguishers , rust, dents, missing parts etc. Workplaces with a high risk of damage to their fire extinguishers such as those kept on haulage vehicles should be particularly vigilant. Any damage should be reported to your fire extinguisher maintenance company so it can be made safe. Any replacement fire extinguishers, fire blankets or signs can be bought online at discount prices from www.nationwidefirefire extinguishers.co.uk or from your service company.

Competent person
A ‘competent person’ is defined by the British Standard as: ‘a person with the necessary training and experience, with access to the relevant tools, equipment and information, manuals and knowledge of any special procedures recommended by the manufacturer of the portable fire extinguisher, to be capable of carrying out the relevant maintenance procedures of this standard’. We recommend using a BAFE registered company which employs FETA qualified technicians or equivalent, who undergo refresher training every 3 years to keep their industry knowledge up to date.

Annual Service
During a basic annual service, the engineer carries out various procedures on the fire extinguisher depending on its make and type. Generally, the service includes: Checking all fire extinguisher parts such as: valves, safety devices, gauges, and operating mechanisms. Checking internally and externally for corrosion Checking the weight is within the stated range Compiling a ’Certificate of Inspection’ - a legal record of the maintenance carried out on the fire extinguishers to be kept by the customer and engineer.

Extended Service
Extended services generally involve carrying out a test discharge on the fire extinguisher, checking internal and external parts, then recharging the fire extinguisher ready for use, if deemed safe by the engineer. BS 5306 - 3, states that water fire extinguishers , foam fire extinguishers, powder fire extinguishers and wet chemical fire extinguishers are required to have extended services every 5 years. Co2 fire extinguishers must have an overhaul & pressure test every 10 years. Most companys carry out a ‘service exchange’ for co2 and powder fire extinguishers due tests. That is exchanging your old extinguisher for a new or refurbished extinguisher. Buying new fire extinguishers from Nationwide Fire Extinguishers  may prove to be more cost effective than service exchanging old units.

Safety Signs
Each extinguisher must be accompanied by appropriate safety signage. Usually indicating the type of extinguisher and safe functions of the particular type. Nationwide Fire Extinguishers stock a wide variety of low cost safety signs .

Wall mounting
All fire extinguishers should, where possible be wall mounted on a suitable bracket or placed on a fire extinguisher stand . Fire extinguishers should never be used to prop doors open - Especially fire doors which should remain shut unless an automatic closing device has been fitted. We can provide brackets for a small charge. We also sell fire extinguisher stands and a new product called ‘dorgard’ - Dorgard is the wire free acoustically activated fire door hold open device designed for a range of environments including universities, residential care facilities, places of work and hotels. It also aids compliance with DDA regulations by allowing access through doors without compromising safety.

More info
This guide is intended as a brief explanation of terms and as an overview of the standard. For further information. Please refer to: BS EN3 BS 5306 part 3 and 8, Fire precautions (Workplace) regulations 1999, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005