We know that fire safety is plays an important role in our residential, workplace and others area. For this purpose, fire safety equipment’s like manual call point, fire alarm system, smoke detector, fire extinguisher and others are used.
The fire extinguisher is a portable or wheel operated fire safety device that discharges a jet of foam or water or chemical or gas or other material to destroy a fire.
The selection criteria of fire extinguisher are based on the applications where it will be installed. The applications are home, office, shop, commercial building, hospital, school, college, apartment, garage, canteen, boiler room, industry, police station, petrol pump, airport and others.
Based on the extinguisher agent, fire extinguishers are classified following.
1) Water type fire extinguisher:
In this type fire extinguisher, water is used as an extinguisher agent. This type of fire extinguisher is used where the fire is generated due to class A type fire. So water-type fire extinguisher is used for destroying fire generated by solid materials such as cloth, wood, plastic, coal, paper, rubber, coal, soft furnishing, and others. This type of fire extinguisher is widely used in school, college, office, shop, hospital and other.
2) Foam type fire extinguisher:
In this type fire extinguisher, foam is used as an extinguisher agent. This type of fire extinguisher is used where the fire is generated due to class A and class B type fire. So foam type fire extinguisher is used for destroying fire generated by solid materials and flammable liquids such as cloth, coal, wood, plastic, paper, rubber, coal, soft furnishing, petrol, diesel, thinners, paints, wax, oils, cooking fat, gasoline, and others. This type of fire extinguisher is widely used in school, college, office, shop, hospital, apartment, petrol pump, oil industry, petroleum industry and other.
3) Dry powder type fire extinguisher:
In this type fire extinguisher, dry powder is used as an extinguisher agent. This type of fire extinguisher is used where the fire is generated due to class A, class B, class C, Class D, and Class E type fire. So dry powder type fire extinguisher is used for destroying fire generated by solid materials, flammable liquids, flammable gases, flammable metals and electrical equipment such as cloth, coal, wood, plastic, paper, rubber, coal, soft furnishing, petrol, diesel, thinners, paints, wax, oils, cooking fat, gasoline, propane, butane, natural gases, lithium, sodium, magnesium, titanium, zirconium, aluminum, potassium, computer, laptop, mobile charger, short-circuiting or overloaded electrical cables, short-circuiting machinery, and others. This type of fire extinguisher is widely used in school, college, office, shop, hospital, apartment, garage, welding, LPG plants, boiler room, petrol pump, oil industry, paint industry, petroleum industry and other.
4) Carbon dioxide type fire extinguisher:
In this type fire extinguisher, carbon dioxide is used as an extinguisher agent. This type of fire extinguisher is used where the fire is generated due to class B and class E type fire. So carbon dioxide type fire extinguisher is used for destroying fire generated by flammable liquids and electrical equipment such as petrol, diesel, thinners, paints, wax, oils, cooking fat, gasoline computer, laptop, mobile charger, short-circuiting or overloaded electrical cables, short-circuiting machinery, and others. This type of fire extinguisher is widely used in petrol pump, oil industry, petroleum industry, paint industry, server room, office and other.
5) Wet chemical type fire extinguisher:
In this type fire extinguisher, wet chemical is used as an extinguisher agent. This type of fire extinguisher is used where the fire is generated due to class A and class F type fire. So wet chemical type fire extinguisher is used for destroying fire generated by solid materials and cooking oil such as cloth, coal, wood, plastic, paper, rubber, coal, soft furnishing, cooking oils, frying fat, deep-fat fryers and others. This type of fire extinguisher is widely used in school, college, office, shop, hospital, kitchen, canteen and other.
6) Dry chemical type fire extinguisher:
In this type fire extinguisher, dry chemical is used as an extinguisher agent. This type fire extinguisher is used where fire is generated due to class A, class B and class C type fire. This type fire extinguisher is used for multi-purpose application. So it called multi-purpose fire extinguisher. They are available with ABC and BC class type category. The dry chemical type fire extinguisher is used for destroying fire generated by solid materials, flammable liquids and flammable gases such as cloth, coal, wood, plastic, paper, rubber, coal, soft furnishing, petrol, diesel, thinners, paints, wax, oils, cooking fat, gasoline, propane, butane, natural gases and other. This type of fire extinguisher is widely used in school, college, office, shop, hospital, apartment, gas industry and other. In this type of fire extinguisher fine powder of baking soda, potassium bicarbonate and monoammonium phosphate.