Dec 24 2012
Advantages of a Fire Extinguisher
The advantages of a fire extinguisher for your home cannot be overstated. No matter where you live, fire can strike at any time. The most devastating fires usually happen at night when families are sleeping.
This is why smoke detectors are an important part of your home safety plan. They wake you before the smoke is dense enough that you are overcome by it, not necessarily before the fire is blocking your path to safety.
Multi-home dwellings are even more at risk. This is because you must worry about every person that lives in the building as well as everyone that walks through the door. One careless act by any one of them could put you and your family at risk.
Unfortunately, it does not even take a careless act. Old wiring is one of the other risks that could cause a fire just as easily.
No matter what the cause, the result is the same. You are left needing to get out quickly…
What if the smoke detector goes off and you wake only to find that the fire is blocking your path to a child, a pet or to the only escape route available to you? Now what? How are you going to get everyone out safely?
When a fire has gotten to the point that it causes the smoke detector to go off, most of the time it is already too large to fight with an extinguisher. So what good does it do you to own one? What are the advantages of a fire extinguisher?
Let’s look at this a little closer.
- If you are awake and discover a fire, having an extinguisher handy can help you to quickly put out the fire before it grows too large to fight.
- If you are awakened by the smoke detector, you can use it to get out safely.
- Your homeowner’s insurance may give you a discount for owning one or more.
- A grease fire in the kitchen does not need to take out the entire house.
- A electrical or gasoline fire can be quickly contained to just equipment damage.
There are several different classes of fire extinguishers. Each class is used for a different type of fire. Make sure that you own the proper class for what you might need.
These classes are:
A – used for paper trash and ordinary combustibles (furniture, walls, etc.)
B – used for flammable liquids and gases – useful in the shed
C – used for electrical equipment
D – used for metal fires
K – used for oil fires – a must for the kitchen
Having a fully charged, functional fire extinguisher that is the right class is still not enough. You must know how to use it properly.
During the yearly training that I am required to take, there have been many first time users that empty an entire 25 pound extinguisher without putting out the small, controlled training flame.
A 25 pound extinguisher is large. It is about knee high, the type that you see in commercial environments. Much larger than you normally find in a home, and not as easy to handle. Still, no matter the size, extinguishers are designed for one thing… to get you out. They are not intended to put out a large fire. They are incapable of lasting that long.
Contact your local fire department to find out about getting trained. Make sure that you can use your extinguisher effectively if you ever need it.
The many advantages of a fire extinguisher, the correct class and knowing how to use it properly could mean the difference between getting your family to safety and becoming another fatality.







