Ways to Extinguish a Fire

There are four ways to extinguish a fire, such as:

• By cooling: Water is used to cool the burning material below the temperature at which it starts to burn.
• By smothering: Carbon dioxide (CO2) or foaming agents are used to smother the burning material so that air is excluded.
• By removing the fuel: This is usually very difficult to do. An example is turning off a fuel line.
• By disrupting the chemical chain reaction or interrupting the flame. Dry chemicals or halon are used to do this.

It is important to know when and how to use a portable fire extinguisher. Portable fire extinguishers are most effective when used in the incipient stages of a fire.

For fire extinguishers to be effective as a fire-fighting tool, a few conditions must be met, including the following:

• The extinguisher must be right for the type of fire.
• The extinguisher must be located where it can be easily reached.
• The extinguisher must be in good working order.
• The fire must be discovered while it is still small.
• The person using the extinguisher must be trained to use it properly.

It is important that employees know how to identify an extinguisher, including its class and the size of fire it is designed to combat, by the markings on the fire extinguisher. Employers should help employees identify the actual extinguishers found around their place of work.

To learn more about Fire Extinguishers visit our Portable Fire Extinguishers Online Training web page.