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