What type of fire extinguisher do I need?

May 17, 2022

The type of fire extinguisher you need will be dependent on the type of fire you are likely to need to extinguish. The contents of certain extinguishers could struggle to put out a fire effectively or potentially exacerbate a fire, depending on what you are trying to extinguish.

There are five different classes of fire; A, B, C, D, F and Electrical. These each describe the different fuels of a fire.

• Class A Fires involve solid combustible materials such as wood, textiles, straw, paper, coal etc
• Class B Fires involve flammable liquids or materials that liquify such as petrol, oils, fats, paints, tar, ether, alcohol and paraffin.
• Class C Fires involve flammable gases such as methane, propane, hydrogen, acetylene, natural gas and city gas.
• Class D Fires involve flammable metals such as magnesium, aluminium, lithium, sodium, potassium and their alloys. Combustible metal fires are unique industrial hazards which require special fire extinguishers.
• Class F fires involve combustible cooking media particularly hot or deep oil and grease fires, such as deep fat fryers in commercial kitchens or overheated oil pan fires in homes.
• Electrical fires involve electrical appliances such as computers, electrical heaters, stereos, fuse boxes etc.

Once you have identified the potential fire source, you can then match up an appropriate extinguisher:

• Water: Class A fires some water extinguishers are safe on electrical equipment if di-electrically tested. Otherwise caution is required near electrical equipment.
• AFFF foam: Class A and B fires safe on electrical equipment if di-electrically tested.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2): Class B and electrical equipment
• ABC powder: Class A, B, C and electrical equipment
• De-Ionised water mist: Class A, B, C and electrical equipment
• Wet chemical: Class F fires, sometimes class A

Our range of fire extinguishers are available to purchase here, should you not find one to meet your needs please don’t hesitate to contact us for a bespoke quote or further guidance 01493 440464 or info@uksafetyproducts.com.

It is important to note that often more than one extinguisher could be needed within different areas dependent on the fire risk. We can offer advise on fire risk assessments or just some further guidance as needed, feel free to contact us on 01493 440464 or info@uksafetyproducts.com. Our parent company, Flameskill, has over 30 years’ experience in providing fire and safety solutions and are specialists in the supply, service, maintenance and recertification of firefighting and safety equipment.

Once you have assessed and selected the right extinguisher for your needs, the next priority is that it is easily accessed. Many water and foam extinguishers are designed to be hand-held and straight forward to operate, but they will be useless if there are not easy to locate. Cabinets and stands provide an easy solution giving your fire safety equipment a prominent position. Please find our selection of products here, feel free to contact us to discuss other options if needed.

Please note that we provide easy-to-understand guidance. To make detailed decisions about your fire safety needs, you might require further advice or need to consult the full standards, legislation or your insurance. Should you require further information or a fire risk assessment, please don’t hesitate to contact us 01493 440464 / info@uksafetyproducts.com.