Your Personal PASS to Safety Facilities Management’s Environmental Health & Safety Division Presents… Fire Extinguishers Your Personal PASS to Safety

Introduction When a fire breaks out, you have only seconds to react – and in those few seconds, you must respond quickly and efficiently. You must stay calm and know your options. Frequently, the best option will simply be to leave the area and call for help. Yet, there may be other times when you will be in a position to put out the fire through the proper use of the right type of fire extinguisher.

The Four Elements of Fire Fire doesn’t happen by chance. It requires four distinct elements, and all four must be present in order for a fire to take place: Fuel (such as wood, paper, cloth, propane, gasoline, kerosene, Coleman fuel) Oxygen (16% of the air) Heat (for instance, a match or spark) The chemical reaction that results from fuel, oxygen and heat mixing in the right quantity, at the right time

Stopping the Fire If any one of the four elements (fuel, oxygen, heat or chemical reaction) is removed, a fire cannot survive. Fighting fire means eliminating one or more of these elements.

Stopping the Fire... Removing the fuel is difficult to do, since the fuel is what’s actually burning. If the fuel consists of flammable vapors, special fire-fighting foams can occasionally control those vapors and in essence remove the fuel.

Stopping the Fire... Reducing or eliminating the fire’s access to oxygen is much easier. This is referred to as “smothering” the fire.

Stopping the Fire... Cooling the fire is the method with which you are probably the most familiar. Spraying water on a fire cools the fuel long enough to stop the chain reaction.

Stopping the Fire... A final fire-fighting method uses certain chemicals such as Halon to suspend the chain reaction, causing the flames to die. New “clean agent” chemicals have been developed to replace Halon, which is no longer manufactured.

Classes of Fire Not all fires are the same. Some fires are best extinguished by eliminating heat, others by taking away the oxygen. How do you know which method should be used? In order to answer that question, you have to know what type of fire you are attempting to extinguish. Every fire belongs to a specific class based on two categories: The type of fuel being burned The source of the heat

Fuel Sources for Different Classes of Fire are: Class A Fire: Fuel is wood, paper, cloth, grass or other ordinary combustibles.

Fuel Sources for Different Classes, Continued… Class B Fire: Fuel is a liquid or gas such as kerosene, propane or Coleman fuel.

Fuel Sources for Different Classes, Continued… Class C Fire: Is electrical in nature The heat source is always faulty wiring, short circuits or electrically energized equipment.

Fuel Sources for Different Classes, Continued… Class D Fire: Fuel is flammable metal such as magnesium or sodium.

Types of Extinguishers Fire extinguishers are classified according to the class of fire they are intended to fight. Not every fire extinguisher works on every type of fire. For instance, an extinguisher that uses water should never be used on a Class C (electrical) fire.

Types of Extinguishers, Continued… Class A: Usually uses water Classes B and C: Usually use chemical solutions such as dry powder Class D: Usually uses special dry powder

Types of Extinguishers, Continued… Every fire extinguisher faceplate shows which class of fire it is intended to fight. If a specific extinguisher can be used for more than one kind of fire, the faceplate will list all classes for which that extinguisher is effective.

Proper Use of Fire Extinguishers All extinguishers have simple instructions on them, and they are usually some variation of these simple steps: Pull the pin. Aim the extinguisher hose or nozzle at the base of the fire. Squeeze the handle. Sweep it slowly back and forth in order to cover the entire fire with the extinguishing substance.

Proper Use of Fire Extinguishers, Continued… Always keep the exit to your back while fighting a fire, and if your efforts don’t seem to be successful, leave the area, closing doors behind you to assist in keeping the fire from spreading. Once you are safe, call 911 immediately.

Conclusion A fire can be put out if you keep in mind a few simple details: Know how fires take place – the four elements of fuel, oxygen, heat and chain reaction. Know the different classes of fire. Know whether the fire extinguisher is the right class for the type of fire. Know how to correctly operate a fire extinguisher, using PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep.

Office of Environmental Health & Safety Campus Location: Telephone: Web Site: Facilities Management 521 S. Razorback Road 479-575-5448 http://www.phpl.uark.edu/ehs/ Click here to take the test!