Fire Extinguisher 101

4/29/2020 (Permalink)

If your Pensacola, Century or Cantonment home experiences fire damages, call SERVPRO of Northwest Escambia County at 850-466-3089!

An in-date fire extinguisher is a crucial piece of safety equipment that can save lives and spare both residential and commercial properties from extensive damage.  Furthermore, it is important to have the right kind of fire extinguisher in place for any materials that may catch fire, depending on the function of the property.  The U.S. Fire Administration defines five primary types of fire extinguishers used to put out different kinds of fires:

1. A – used for ordinary material fires, such as wood, cloth or paper.
2. B – for use with combustible or flammable liquids like grease, gasoline, oil, and oil-based paints.
3. C – for use with electrical equipment like appliances and tools.
4. D – for use with flammable metals.
5. K – for use with animal oils, vegetable oils, and fats in cooking appliances.

Many fire extinguishers may also be multipurpose, in that they carry multiple letter definitions and can put out a variety of material fires.

Along with having the proper fire extinguishers readily available, it is important for personnel to know how to effectively use the fire extinguisher.  The U.S. Fire Administration suggests the acronym “PASS” as a means of teaching fire extinguisher use:

P - Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you and release the locking mechanism.

A - Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.

S - Squeeze the level slowly and evenly

S - Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

When a fire damage occurs at your home or business, give SERVPRO of Northwest Escambia County a call at 850-466-3089.  We have the equipment and experience to make it “Like it never even happened.”