Fire Extinguishers For Your Business
Fire extinguishers play a very important role in the preservation of life and property. Portable fire extinguishers can reduce the risk of a small fire, for example in a waste paper bin, developing into a larger fire.
The safe use of an extinguisher to control a fire in its early stages can significantly reduce the risk to other people in the premises, allowing time for at risk or vulnerable people to be helped.
Why Do You Need Fire Extinguishers?
Fire extinguishers are required in almost all commercial buildings, and houses of multiple occupancy e.g flats, social housing and apartment blocks. It is ordered in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order that extinguishers must be present and readily available on each building floor, with Class A fire risks being the most common.
To determine the correct extinguisher for your business, you will require a fire risk assessment (FRA) to be carried out by a reputable fire safety company. The FRA will establish the potential fire risks on-site, depending on the industry and number of people present, before making recommendations on the extinguishers required for your particular business, and their locations (for example, on escape routes at each floor level, in the kitchen, in the warehouse), as well as the required signage to indicate the location of the extinguishers.
Dedicated training must be provided to the people who would be expected to extinguish a fire on the premises. All staff should be familiar with the locations and basic operating procedures of the portable fire extinguishers present in the building. In the event of a fire emergency, staff may need to use an extinguisher to aid their escape.
Types of Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are versatile fire-fighting safety products that contain varying substances suited to different types of fire. The most common of which include; water, CO2, foam, dry powder and wet chemical extinguishers.
WATER – Fire class: A
Suitable for use in the combustion of organic materials such as paper, wood and textiles, water extinguishers spray controlled liquid water onto class A fires.
CO2 – Fire class: B
Intended for use on electrical and flammable liquid fires, class B fires should be tackled (if safe to do so) with CO2 extinguishers.
FOAM – Fire class: A & B
For use on petrol, oil, fat and paint fires, aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) extinguishers cover A and B class fires.
POWDER – Fire class: A, B & C
Used on mixed medium fires, the dry powder solution is effective against propane, methane and natural gas fires.
WET CHEMICAL – Fire class: F
Specially designed for cooking oil fires, wet chemical extinguishers are found in industrial kitchens, including in hotels, care homes, restaurants and schools.
The full range of fire extinguishers, including details of the available sizes and fire ratings, can be found on our dedicated extinguisher page.
Business Fire Extinguisher Guide
Your industry and business purpose will determine the class, size and number of extinguisher you will need.
Your specific FRA will outline what you must have on the premises, with the following guide demonstrating industries and their extinguisher requirements.
WATER | CO2 | FOAM | POWDER | WET CHEMICAL |
 |  |  |  |  |
Water extinguishers are commonly used in storage and retail units, textile factories, paper production plants, and warehouses. | CO2 extinguishers work by displacing the oxygen present. Server rooms, construction sites and offices will have CO2 on-site. | For use on Class A & B fires, Foam extinguishers are suitable for paper, wood and flammable liquids, including fuel and paint. | Powder extinguishers are sutiable for Class A (solids), B (liquids) & C (gases) fires, as well as electrical fires up to 1000V. | Used to tackle cooking oil fires, the Wet Chemical extinguisher is used in industrial kitchens, restaurants, hotels and schools. |
Trust the Experts
It is highly recommended that portable fire extinguishers are expertly installed and maintained by a third-party accredited business, whose technicians can prove their competence.
At Churches Fire & Security, we are the experts in business fire and security protection, helping our customers to keep their property, assets and personnel safe from the threat of fire and theft.
We also offer a full range of quality fire and security services including CCTV systems, access control, intruder and fire alarms, 24/7 monitoring, sprinkler systems, visual fire door inspections, dry risers, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers.
Get in touch to discuss your fire extinguisher requirements.
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