Having a home fire extinguisher in your house for those emergencies can save lives and property. If a fire starts, grabbing your fire extinguisher can dramatically reduce damage to your home, stop the spread of the fire and may save lives. It can also suppress the flames while you and your family escape and while waiting for the fire department.
You could have a hundred extinguishers in your home but nothing matters more than having a fire plan for your family. Everyone in the family needs to know what to do in case of a fire. Make a plan on how to escape, where to meet outside and make sure everyone knows how to call 911. If you go ahead and put out the fire (say in your kitchen), go ahead and call the fire department anyway so they can make sure the fire is out.
The National Fire Protection Association (nfpa.org) recommends a home fire extinguisher for each floor. It is recommended to have an extinguisher in your kitchen, garage and one on every floor. This includes the basement main living floors, floors with bedrooms and in a walk in attic.
Kitchen - Kitchens are where most fires start. Place it near the door and net near the stove. When a fire starts at the stove, you can get the extinguisher easily and do not have to reach over the fire to get it.
Garage - The garage is also a good place to keep one. The garage usually has paints, solvents and building material along with it being used as general storage. Mount the extinguisher near the door to have access to it during a fire.
Selecting the correct home fire extinguisher for your house will take some thought. There are several different types of extinguishers on the market and choosing the right one for the particular fire situation is important. If you have a grease fire and use the wrong extinguisher, you could spread the fire and make it worse. Using an extinguisher made for putting out a wood fire on an electrical outlet could kill you.
Fire extinguishers are rated by fire class. Home fire extinguishers are classified A, B, or C or a combination of the three. Many of the extinguishers you can purchase in the home centers are classified as A:B:C and fight all three types of fires. There is a D class which deals with flammable metals in industrial situations and is not for the home.
Class A - The Class A extinguisher is made for ordinary combustibles such as paper, wood, cardboard, and simple plastics. These extinguishers are filled with water which is under a very high pressure and will "choke" the blaze by deleting its supply of oxygen.
Class B - The Class B extinguisher is made to handle flammable combustibles such as grease, oil, and gasoline. These extinguishers are filled with a chemical mixture which is designed to extinguish the blaze safely. Using water on a grease fire will spread the it and cause more harm.
Class C - The Class C fire extinguishers are designed for electrical flames. They use nonconductive flame retardants to smother the electrical blaze. It is extremely dangerous to use water on a Class C fire. You can severely electrically shock yourself and even kill yourself. Keeping a Class C in your car or near electrical panels is a great idea.
Class D - The Class D blaze involves flammable metals. The Class D flame will typically be encountered in a manufacturing or laboratory setting. Many suppliers sell combination extinguishers like ABC or BC extinguishers. The Class D extinguisher is never combined with others classes. These extinguishers use dry powder and not dry chemicals as used in B and C blazes.
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Another great thing about this is that you do not have to constantly buy an extinguisher. The shelf life of this equipment can last for twelve to fifteen years. Also, it does not require intense maintenance. You just have to check on it at least twice a year and you are good to go.
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