Types of Fire Extinguishers

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What is fire extinguisher?

A fire extinguisher is a fire protection device.

Elements of fire

Fire must have some elements to exist. Oxygen sustain combustion. Heat raise the material to its ignition temperature. Fuel support the combustion. Also, there must be chemical reaction between these three elements . Remove any one of the four elements to extinguish the fire. Separate these elements to protect from fire.

Types of Fires and Extinguishing Agents

Different fire extinguishers extinguish different types of fire.

1. Class A fires are fires in ordinary combustibles like wood, paper, cloth, trash and plastics.
2. Class B fires are in flammable liquids like gasoline, petroleum oil and paint. Class B fires also include flammable gases like propane and butane.
3. Class C fires are fires involving energized electrical equipment like motors, transformers and appliances. Remove the power and the Class C fire becomes on of the other classes of fire.
4. Class D fires are fires in combustible including potassium, sodium, aluminum and magnesium.
5. Class K fires are fires in cooking oils and greases like animals fats and vegetable fats. Some types of fire extinguishing agents can be more than one class of fire.

Types of Fire Extinguishers

1. Water and foam fire extinguishers take away the heat element of fire triangle. Foam agents also separate the oxygen element from the other elements. Water extinguishers are for Class A fire only.
2. Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers take away the oxygen element of the fire triangle and remove the heat with a cold discharge. Carbon dioxide extinguishes Class B and Class C fires.
3. Dry chemical fire extinguishers interrupt the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. These extinguishers also create a barrier between the oxygen element and the fuel element on class A fires. Multipurpose dry chemical extinguishers extinguish Class A, B, C fires. Ordinary dry chemical extinguishes only Class B and C fires.
4. Wet chemicals extinguishers remove the heat of the fire triangle and prevents re-ignition, create a barrier between the oxygen and fuel elements. Wet chemical extinguishers extinguish Class K fire. Some of them extinguish Class A fire.
5. Halogenated or Clean Agent extinguishers interrupt the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. Clean agent extinguishes Class B and C fire. Some larger clean agent extinguishes also Class A fire.
6. Dry Powder extinguishers separate the fuel from the oxygen element or remove the heat element of the fire triangle. Dry powders are effective only for Class D fires.
7. Water Mist extinguishers take away the heat element of the fire triangle. Water mist extinguishes Class A fires, although they are safe for use on Class C fires as well.
8. Cartridge Operated Dry Chemicals fire extinguishers interrupt the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. The multipurpose agent also create a barrier between the oxygen element and the fuel element on Class A fires. Multipurpose dry chemical is effective on Class A, B and C fires. The ordinary dry chemical is for Class B and C fires only.

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More information you can find there: http://femalifesafety.org/

Acknowledgement:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher

http://www.femalifesafety.org/types-of-fires.html

http://www.femalifesafety.org/types-of-extinguishers.html

http://holmesfireandsafety.com/which-fire-extinguisher-is-right-for-me-2/

http://abcfiresafety.net/fire-extinguishers/