5 Essential Tips For People Who Own Fire Extinguishers
A fire extinguisher is designed to make you and your facility safer, but you also need to ensure that you use and store this equipment safely. Here are some essential safety tips to keep in mind.
1. Make Sure You Have the Right Type of Fire Extinguisher
There are different types of fire extinguishers for different types of fires, and using the wrong extinguisher could be counterproductive. In a worst-case scenario, the fire may even get larger if you use the wrong extinguisher.
For example, a water and foam extinguisher is a class A extinguisher. If you use this on a Class B or C fire, that can spread flammable liquid all over the place or create a shock hazard.
Consult with a fire extinguisher expert to ensure you get the type of extinguisher that matches the type of fires that are likely to start in your home or business facility.
2. Train People to Use the Fire Extinguisher
Whether your fire extinguisher is in a home or a business environment, you need to train people to use it correctly. At home, you may want to make sure that all adults as well as babysitters or older children know how to use the extinguisher.
Similarly, in an apartment building, you may want to set up a training seminar for residents or even include some training as part of their move-in process. In a work environment, you need to train your employees. To make using the extinguisher easier, consider teaching people about the PASS method.
PASS is an acronym that helps you remember to pull the pin (P), aim the extinguisher (A), squeeze the trigger (S), and sweep the extinguisher back and forth (S). Also, remind people to aim low. You want to hit the base of the fire, not the flames.
3. Hang Signs Near the Fire Extinguisher
If no one can find your fire extinguisher, it won't do any good. To ensure people can easily find the fire extinguisher, make sure to hang it in a prominent spot near eye level. Also, hang illuminated signs that guide people toward the fire extinguisher.
In situations where you have to put the fire extinguisher in a cabinet, make sure that's well signed. Also, never lock a cabinet that is holding a fire extinguisher. If the cabinet has to be locked, make sure it's a glass case, and keep a small hammer nearby so people can break the glass.
4. Get the Extinguisher Serviced Regularly
Fire extinguishers don't last forever. Once you use the extinguisher, you need to get it serviced. You also need to ensure that any expired extinguishers are serviced as needed.
Ideally, you should have a service card full of dates attached to your fire extinguisher. The dates should indicate when it was last serviced and when it needs to be serviced again. Then, make sure that you follow up on all service dates.
5. Consider Connecting Your Fire Extinguish to Your Fire Alarm or Monitoring System
Thanks to modern technology, you can now connect your fire extinguisher to the rest of your fire alarm or monitoring system. Consider integrating this type of technology to make your fire extinguisher even safer.
Depending on your setup, your alarm may be triggered anytime someone moves a fire extinguisher. That ensures that even if there's just a small fire in one area of your building, the alarm gets triggered so that everyone knows to take the necessary actions.
You can also get built-in alarms that let you know if something is wrong with the extinguisher, such as the pressure being off.
You can find more information on fire extinguishers here.
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