In your place of business, it’s required by state law to have fire extinguishers on hand in the case of a fire in your business. But how do you know what type of fire extinguisher to get, and when to replace them? Here’s a little guide on what fire extinguisher is what and when you need to replace them.
There are 5 main classes of fire: Class A, which is typical wood, paper, cloth, etc. Class B is for gasoline, oil, paint, flammable liquid. Class C is in the case of an electrical fire, and Class K is for vegetable, animals fats and oils. It is important to note that you can’t use one type of fire extinguisher for every type of fire, as some chemicals won’t put out the fire, and other times it may end up fanning it.
There are also different chemicals that are used for each extinguisher. For example, you might have dry chemicals in one, liquid chemicals in another, carbon dioxide, and water in two others. Each fire extinguisher is different and you need to be able to discern which one is which for the right type of fire. In conclusion, fire extinguishers should be tested every 5 years to make sure everything still works, and if it needs to be replaced or not.
