Fire Extinguisher

Safety Training

 Fire Basics
 Fire Extinguisher Overview
 Types of Fire Extinguishers
 Following the P.A.S.S Technique

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 For Fires to Exist…
… the following four elements must be present at the same time.

• Enough oxygen to sustain combustion.

• Enough heat to raise the material to its ignition temperature.
• Some sort of fuel or combustible material.
• The chemical reaction is .

Oxygen + heat + fuel =

Remove any one, no fire

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Four Classes of Fires.

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Classes of Fire (2 of 2)
• Five classes of fires:
– Class A
– Class B
– Class C
– Class D
– Class K

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Class A
• Fuel: Ordinary solid combustibles
– Wood
– Paper
– Cloth
• Extinguishing agents:
– Water (cools the fuel)

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Class B
• Fuel: Flammable or combustible liquids
– Gasoline
– Kerosene
– Oils
• Extinguishing agents:
– Foam or carbon dioxide
– Dry chemicals

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Class C
• Fuel: Energized electrical equipment
– Underlying fuel is often Class A or Class B
– Special classification required due to electrical
hazards
• Extinguishing agents:
– Carbon dioxide
– Use of water is not advised.
• Be sure to shut off power before using water.

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Class D
• Fuel: Burning metals
– Potassium
– Lithium
– Magnesium
• Extinguishing agents:
– Special salt-based powders or dry sand
– Do NOT use water.

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Class K
• Fuel: Combustible cooking media
– Cooking oils
– Grease
• Extinguishing agents:
– Designation is new and coincides with a new
classification of Class K extinguishing agents

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Phases of Fire
• Four distinct phases:
– Ignition
– Growth
– Fully Developed
– Decay

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Phases of fire

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Ignition Phase
• Fuel, heat, and oxygen are
present
• Fuel is heated to its ignition
temperature

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Growth Phase
• Additional fuel involved
• Fire grows larger
• Convection draws more air into fire
• Thermal layering:
– Hot gases collect at ceiling and bank
downward.

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Flashover
• Point between growth phase and fully
developed phase
• All combustible materials in a room ignite
at once.
• Temperatures can reach 1000°F.
• Flashovers are deadly!

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Fully Developed Phase

• Heat produced at maximum rate
• Oxygen consumed rapidly
• Fire will burn as long as fuel and
oxygen remain.

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Decay Phase
• Fuel is nearly
exhausted
• Intensity reduces
• Eventually fire will
go out

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Methods of Extinguishment
• Cool the burning
material.
• Exclude oxygen.
• Remove fuel.
• Break the chemical
reaction.

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• Fire extinguishers are designed to put out or
control small fires. A small fire, if not checked
immediately, will soon spread out of control. It is
important, therefore, that we equip our facilities
with the proper fire extinguishers as part of our
fire protection plan.

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Staying Informed & Up-To-Date.
• Implementing a fire extinguisher
safety program and informing
occupants of the specific
building’s fire safety procedures
are essential.

• Knowing about the different

classes of fires and different
types of fire extinguishers CAN
save lives.

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 Types of Fire Extinguishers.
Different types of fire extinguishers are designed to
fight different types of fires. The three most common types
of fire extinguishers are:

• Air pressurized water extinguishers

• Carbon Dioxide extinguishers
• Dry Chemical Extinguishers

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Air-pressurized water extinguishers
• Water is one of the most commonly used extinguishing agents for
type A fires. You can recognize an APW by its large silver container.
They are filled about two-thirds of the way with ordinary water, then
pressurized with air. In some cases, detergents are added to the water
to produce a foam. They stand about two to three feet tall and weigh
approximately 25 pounds when full.

• APWs extinguish fire by cooling the surface of the fuel to remove the
"heat" element of the fire triangle.

• APWs are designed for Class A (wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and
certain plastics) fires only.

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 APW
Air-pressurized Water Extinguisher

• Never use water to extinguish flammable liquid fires.

Water is extremely ineffective at extinguishing this type of fire
and may make matters worse by the spreading the fire.

• Never use water to extinguish an electrical fire. Water

is a good conductor and may lead to electrocution if used to
extinguish an electrical fire. Electrical equipment must be
unplugged and/or de-energized before using a water
extinguisher on an electrical fire.

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Carbon Dioxide extinguishers
• This type of extinguisher is filled with Carbon Dioxide (CO 2), a non-
flammable gas under extreme pressure. These extinguishers put out fires
by displacing oxygen, or taking away the oxygen element of the fire
triangle. Because of its high pressure, when you use this extinguisher
pieces of dry ice shoot from the horn, which also has a cooling effect on
the fire. You can recognize this type of extinguisher by its hard horn and
absent pressure gauge.

• CO2 cylinders are red and range in size from five to 100 pounds or larger.

• CO2 extinguishers are designed for Class B and C (flammable liquid and
electrical) fires only.

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CO2 extinguishers
Carbon Dioxide

• CO2 is not recommended for Class A fires because they

may continue to smolder and re-ignite after the CO2
dissipates.

• Never use CO2 extinguishers in a confined space while

people are present without proper respiratory protection.

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Dry Chemical extinguishers
• Dry chemical extinguishers put out fires by coating the fuel with a thin
layer of fire retardant powder, separating the fuel from the oxygen. The
powder also works to interrupt the chemical reaction, which makes these
extinguishers extremely effective.

• Dry chemical extinguishers are usually rated for class B and C fires and
may be marked multiple purpose for use in A, B, and C fires. They
contain an extinguishing agent and use a compressed, non-flammable gas
as a propellant.

• Dry Chemical extinguishers will have a label indicating they may be used
on class A, B, and/or C fires.

OR

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Where to find fire extinguishers?
• Locations:
Extinguishers will frequently be found in industrial vehicles, hallways,
mechanical rooms, offices, computer labs, and flammable liquid storage areas.

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 Using a Fire Extinguisher
The following steps should be followed when responding to incipient stage fire:

• Sound the fire alarm and call 911, and/or UNI Public Safety.
• Select a safe evacuation path before approaching the fire, do not allow
the heat, smoke, or fire come between you and the evacuation path.
• Discharge the fire extinguisher with its appropriate range using the
P.A.S.S techniques (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep).
• Back away from an extinguished fire in case it flames up.
• Evacuate immediately if the fire extinguisher is empty and the fire is
not yet out.
• Evacuate immediately if the fire progresses passed the incipient stage.
While in the process of evacuating double checking letting others
aware of the fire taking place.
* Incipient stage fire:
The fire is limited to the original material ignited, it is contained (such as in a waste basket) and has not spread
to other materials. The flames are no higher than the firefighter's head.

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Following the P.A.S.S Technique

• Pull…
• Aim…
• Squeeze…
• Sweep…

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