At least the house had a portable fire extinguisher in the garage, even if it was missing the safety seal, and not secured to the wall. The hose was flexible and in good condition, the gauge was in the green.
I recommend that clients have a portable fire extinguisher in laundry rooms as lint build up can lead to fires. as noted in the “Dryer vent safety” article " Fires caused by dryers in 2005 were responsible for approximately 13,775 house fires, 418 injuries, 15 deaths, and $196 million in property damage".
A fire extinguisher needs to be inspected on a monthly basis. I would check to make sure that the pressure on the fire extinguisher pressure is still in the green and that the safety cord is still intact. I would also check to makes sure that the all the other inspections are up to date.
There are several different types of fire extinguishers that will put out all different types of fires, but for these to operate properly they need to be serviced on a regular basis. This service is very important at which if the service isn’t up to date the fire could spread.
This is a photo of an fire extinguisher that has not being recertified since january 12, 2011. As can be seen the extinguisher is still in the correct charged range, it has the proper tag and safety trap for the pin. But this needs to be taken for a recertification now.
I read the article on fire extinguisher maintenance and inspection. it is important to maintain an extinguisher in proper working condition and proper distance of possible hazard. Also that it is not blocked by items to hinder time to obtain it. Also if the extinguisher is used for for some reason, that it is replaced or refilled in a timely manner.
THE ATTACHED PICTURE OF A FIRE EXTINGUISHER GAUGE SHOWS THAT THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER HAS THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO WORK PROPERLY. THE LAST TIME THIS EXTINGUISHER WAS CHECKED BY A PROFESSIONAL AS IN 2012, AND THE EXTINGUISHER IS NOT PLACED IN A VISUAL AND/OR EASILY ACCESSIBLE AREA. IN FACT, IT IS PLACED UNDER A KITCHEN SINK BEHIND MULTIPLE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, AND IT IS NOT MOUNTED.
IN AN ARTICLE PERTAINING TO FIRE EXTINGUISHER MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION, IT SHOWS A LISTING OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND THE PURPOSE THEY SERVE. ACCORDING TO THE LIST TYPE “A” EXTINGUISHERS ARE USED FOR FIRES CAUSED BY ORDINARY DRY MATERIALS, TYPE “B” FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS, TYPE “C” ELECTRICAL, TYPE “D” COMBUSTIBLE METALS, AND TYPE “K” IS USED FOR COOKING AND ANIMAL OIL FIRES.
The fire extinguisher is located near the front door and can be easily accessible. There is no obstruction. Operating instructions are legible and clear. An approved safety seal is present and not broken at all. There is no physical damage to the body and there is no rust. Pressure gauge is in operable position. Discharge hose is not broken or damaged. Label is in place. Label explaining type of fire extinguisher is little bit damaged. Paper tag is present.
Fire are classified into 5 different types depending upon the type of burning material. These are A class(ordinary material fire), B class(fire from combustible liquids), C class(electrical equipment fire), D class(combustible metals and alloys fire) and K class( cooking media fire). Different type of fire media require different type of extinguisher to combat fire. These fire extinguishers are dry chemical extinguisher(for type A,B & C fire) , CO2(for type B & C fire), water extinguisher(for type A fire), wet chemical fire extinguishers( for type A & K fire). Fire extinguishers must be inspected regularly. Fire extinguishers must be destroyed in certain conditions, for example when cylinder threads are corroded, broken or nicked or if dented too much and welded. Fire extinguishers may expire as some chemicals may solidify over the time.
The extinguisher that i took a picture of is in great shape . It was just recently inspected and still has the saftey clip. It is also in the green zone wich means its properly filled. There are also no dents or scratches and the hose isnt cracked.
Upon inspecting this fire extinguisher, I found that is ABC rated but has been used previously and needs to be either recharged or replaced. I would advise to do ASAP. This is very important to do because if needed it will not work properly.
I looked at the illustration of the commercial fire suppression. These extinguishers are located in the right are next to the area of possible fire. They are also readily accessible for anyone to grab if needed to put out a fire.
The research that i compleated was on fire extinguisher inspection and safety. There are a few different types of fire extinguisher for different types of fires. Each fire extinguisher has a tag wich can be made of any material describing who inspected it and when.
This fire extinguisher has the pull pin seal and looks in good condition , but looking at the annual inspection tag shows its way out of date. Not only is it out of date annually but no 6 month maintenance inspection was done and its overdue for its 12 year hydrostatic test . This fire extinguisher should be taken out of service and brought up to date or replaced with a new one.
I would like to talk about the possible hazards of using co2 fire extinguishers. I had a personal experience on a jobsite . Sparks from a overhead welder started a trash fire in a semi-enclosed area below ,I grabbed a co2 extinguisher close by , the only type that was available and put out the fire . As i set the extinguisher down and took a breath , and it was a strange feeling as i tried to breathe , there was nothing to breathe,instant panic mode set in and luckily i was able to quickly get to fresh air. When co2 displaces the oxygen to put out the fire it also displaces the oxygen we need to breathe. A dry chemical type would been the type to use , but you use what you have at the time.Because this happened to me I wanted to pass it along. Caution must be used with co2 in a confined space area.
I did a visual inspection on this fire extinguisher. I checked all the various parts for defects, made sure the pin was secure and that the extinguisher was full. It was a bit dirty so I also cleaned the dust off and made sure the label was legible.
I checked out the illustration about commercial kitchen fire suppression and was amazed how large the tanks had to be. I was also wondering if the filler in the tanks had to be food safe and of the gas type.
This picture is of a recently inspected portable fire extinguisher in a certified commercial kitchen. The label clearly documents all recent inspections, and the fire extinguisher is clearly in its place and easily accessible in the event of an emergency.
