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Fire Safety Online carries a full range of Fire extinguishers buy for the home, car, truck, boat, kitchens, commercial buildings, strata units, offices, retail outlets, repair shops, computer rooms, marinas, and factories.

Fire Blankets
Fire Blankets,
chrome Fire extinguishers, AFFF foam


Fire Extinguisher location signs
Fire extinguisher location signs

DCP Fire Extinguisher
DCP Fire extinguishers

CO2 Fire Extinguisher
CO2 Fire extinguishers

Wet chemical Fire Extinguisher
Wet Chemical Fire extinguishers

Fire Hoses
Fire Hose Reels

How to Choose a Fire Extinguisher

To satisfy AS2444: Selection of portable fire extinguishers, you may need to Find a fire extingisher by its Fire Rating


Class A Fire risks
Rating needed Our item rated description
1A 1A:20B:E 1kg DCP ABE
1A 1A:3F 2 Ltr wet chemical
2A 2A:30B:E 1.5kg DCP ABE
2A 2A:4F 7 Ltr wet chemical
2A 2A 9 Ltr water
2A 2A:20B 9 Ltr AFFF
3A 3A:60B:E 4.5kg DCP ABE
6A 6A:80B:E 9kg DCP ABE

Class B Fire risks
Rating needed Our item rated description
5B 5B:E 3.5kg CO2
10B 1A:10B:E 0.75kg DCP ABE
20B 1A:20B:E 1kg DCP ABE
20B 1A:20B:E 1kg DCP ABE chrome
20B 2A:20B 9 Ltr AFFF
30B 2A:30B:E 1.5kg DCP ABE
30B 2A:30B:E 2kg DCP ABE
40B 2A:40B:E 2.5kg DCP ABE
60B 3A:60B:E 4.5kg DCP ABE
80B 6A:80B:E 9kg DCP ABE

What do the fire ratings mean?

The letters A, B, E, & F are 4 types of fires that are covered by these fire extinguishers
These letters classify a fire mostly by the type of fuel that is keeping the fire going.
Where an extinguisher is classified with more than one letter, it means it is effective on more than one type of fire, eg 2A:30B:E extingusher, could be used on a Type A fire, or a B fire, or a type E fire. The number in front of the letter is used to compare the performance of an extinguisher as outlined in AS/NZS 1850
For class A fires the numbers range from 1 to 10, for class B they are from 2 to 80, and for class F, they go from 1 to 4


What are the fire types A, B, E, & F?

Fire Class
Description Typical examples
A
Wood, paper, plastics wood, textiles, rubber, plastics and paper.Offices warehouses
B
Flammable liquids petrol, oil, paint, petrol stations, cars
E
Energised electrical Switchboards, computers, toasters, fuse boxes, live electrical appliances
F
Cooking oils & fats Butter, deep fryers, kitchens, take aways, and restuarants

There are also type C fires (flammable gases), and type D (combustible metals). Please contact us to supply extinguishers for class C fires. Sorry, we do not supply any type D extinguishers.

How do you decide which extinguisher to put where?

There is an Australian standard (AS2444) which covers this topic. The most important factors that influence what fire extinguisher you should use,are the likely source of a fire, and how much area the fire extinguisher is expected to service (square metres of a room). Sometimes it will be necessary to have more than one type of fire extinguisher in a room. For example a water or wet chemical fire extinguisher is dangerous to use on electrical (class E) fires- it could cause electrocution!. A carbon dioxide (CO2) extinguisher has only minimal ability on class A fires, the pressure that comes from it may even cause loose burning papers to fly up and spread the fire. A CO2 fire extinguisher used on a class F fire, say in a deep fryer, could fling burning oil all over the room. But it is perfect for electrical fires because it can make its way in and around computer boxes or behind switchboards.

It is therefore important for staff to get proper training on which fire extinguisher to use, where. Most councils require a certificate of compliance, to ensure the right equipment is used, and placed in the right location. The AS2444 specifies the location of fire extinguishers and the location signs that must accompany them.


Further reading