Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors Save Lives

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a leading authority on firefighting rules, regulations, and industry standards. The NFPA also recommends at minimum one portable fire extinguisher for each level in all private residences. Contact Home Hazard Prevention today to learn about proper extinguisher selection, location/placement, training, and testing techniques. There are several options for portable extinguishers and they all have vastly different fire fighting properties and capabilities. Different types of fires are classified by different letters primarily relating to the fuel associated with each fire. Most fire extinguishers are effective against multiple classifications of fires and have separate rating associated with each type of fire. As a rule of thumb, the larger the number, the more effective that fire extinguisher can be against a given fire and the larger fire it can handle. Without the proper knowledge and training, this essential life saving equipment is useless in your hands.  More safety information can be found here.

Every Home Should Have at Least One Working Smoke Alarm

Buy a smoke alarm from us, at any hardware or discount store. It’s inexpensive protection for you and your family. Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and be sure to mark their locations on your EDITH plans.  A working smoke alarm can double your chances of survival. Test it monthly, keep it free of dust using a vacuum cleaner or compressed air, and replace the battery at least every 6 months. Make sure to replace all of the batteries at the same time, not just the battery form a single unit. Smoke alarms themselves should be replaced after 10 years of service, or as recommended by the manufacturer. It is best to take your old model to the store (or contact the Manufacturer directly) to replace the old unit with the proper new unit; and replace all of the units at the same time. Many newer homes have smoke alarms that are both hard wired to the homes electrical grid, and a battery back up. This features proves invaluable as all smoke alarms will sound if a single unit detects smoke. Protect your family and have Home Hazard Prevention inspect your home for this, and other hazards, which you may not even be aware that exist in your residence.

Understanding Fire Extinguisher Ratings

The ratings assigned to different fire extinguishers have a purpose of communicating the effectiveness of an individual fire extinguisher in putting out a fire. The rating itself have a reference to the type of fire in which they can be used and a numerical evaluation on the effectiveness against that type of fire. The combination of the letters and numbers associated with those letters are the indicator of the size/intensity of the fire it can be effective against.

Different types of fires are classified by different letters primarily relating to the fuel associated with each fire. Most fire extinguishers are effective against multiple classifications of fires and have separate rating associated with each type of fire. As a rule of thumb, the larger the number, the more effective that fire extinguisher can be against a given fire and the larger fire it can handle.

The number associated with the classification rating on the fire extinguishers is a direct relationship in the overall effectiveness of that fire extinguisher against that particular class of fire. There is said to be a relationship in the area of a fire that a fire extinguisher can extinguish and it rating. That relationship is 0.1 meters of fire per rating for class A fires. In other words a 30-A rating would typically test out to handle a fire of 3 square meters. The ratings in class B and C fires are more related to the square footage and a different type of fire. Therefore, there is no good comparison between class A and class B or C fires. The rule of thumb still applies to both in the larger the number, the more effective.

The rating of a fire extinguisher is a tested objective evaluation done by Underwriters Laboratories. The things that directly affect the ratings of the fire extinguisher are primarily the size or mass of the agent which is expelled, the speed of agent expulsion, and the agent effectiveness itself.

Fire Classification Descriptions
Class A – Solid materials such as wood, card, paper, fabric, etc.
Class B – Flammable liquids including kerosene, oils, petrol, paints, diesel, etc.
Class C – Electrical fires, they become Class A fires once the energy is removed.
Class D – Combustible metals or alloys, such as potassium, magnesium or titanium.

Fire Extinguisher Options by Ratings
ABC Ratings
BC Ratings

1-A;10-B:C (1A10BC) 2-A;10-B:C (2A10BC) 3-A;10-B:C (3A10BC) 3-A;40-B:C (3A40BC) 4-A;60-B:C (4A60BC) 4-A;80-B:C (4A80BC)

10-A;80-B:C (10A80BC) 20-A;120-B:C (20A120BC) 30-A;160-B:C (30A160BC) 40-A;240-B:C (40A240BC) 2-B:C (2BC) 5-B:C (5BC)

10-B:C (10BC) 20-B:C (20BC) 30-B:C (30BC) 40-B:C (40BC) 60-B:C (60BC) 80-B:C (80BC)

160-B:C (160BC) 240-B:C (240BC) AB (AB) 2A (2A) K (K)

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