We wish no hazard to happen in your life. Still, you must be cautious about hazardous accidents and how to deal with them. Fire is a quite common hazard, and this disaster can occur anywhere at any time. But how many among us know how to use a fire extinguisher in such conditions. To save hundreds of lives or considerable damages, you must know the procedure of using a fire extinguisher. To help you, here in this post, we will guide you on how to use a fire extinguisher before you need it. In such a case, you also can get help from the LESSO fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire in any disastrous case.
Various classifications of fires
Before knowing how to use a fire extinguisher, you must know some basic things. First of all, you must get an idea about the different types of fires that may happen. The various classifications of fires are the following;
Class A- Solid combustibles like paper, cloth, and wood cause these types of fires.
Class B- Flammable liquids like petroleum, solvents, gasoline, paints, and propane are the reason behind these types of fires.
Class C- Electrical equipment like wiring, computers, fuse boxes, control panels, and electrical appliances are the reason for these fires.
Class D- Metals, flakes of metals like titanium, sodium, potassium, and combustible powders cause this type of fire.
Class K- These fires are caused by animal fats, vegetable fats, and cooking oils.
Get the right type of extinguisher
After knowing the type of fire, you need to get the right type of fire extinguisher according to the type of fire. For example, for the class A fire, you must choose a fire extinguisher that will be capable of extinguishing such fire.
But how will you know the type of fire extinguisher? The easiest way is to check the label on the fire extinguisher, and it will let you know the specific type of fire extinguisher. The fire extinguishers come with different labeling like Class A, Class B, Class C, etc. Therefore, you must check the label of the fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher labels also have symbols indicating the fire type that the extinguisher can deal with.
The household fire extinguishers come with a rating. Here, you need to remember that higher-rated extinguishers can deal with larger fire disasters. You will need a fire extinguisher with 1 to 40 ratings for the Class A fires. For Class B, a fire extinguisher from 1 to 640 will be useful. However, the higher-rated fire extinguisher can be a bit heavier.
How to use a fire extinguisher
People who are not trained properly should not use a fire extinguisher. However, before using a fire extinguisher to handle a fire, make sure to raise the fire alarm. To use an extinguisher properly, you have to know the PASS technique. PASS stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep.
Pull- First of all, you need to pull the pin that will break the tamper seal.
Aim- Then, you have to aim low while you point the hose at the fire. Make sure not to touch the horn of a CO2 extinguisher. It may damage your skin.
Squeeze: Now, you have to squeeze the handle for releasing the extinguishing agent.
Sweep: Finally, you have to sweep from side to side at the fire’s base or the fuel source. Make sure to sweep until the fire is out.
However, these are the basic techniques to handle fire with a fire extinguisher. But you should not tackle a fire that is beyond your capabilities, and otherwise, that will be fatal for you and the surroundings as well. You can only handle fire in the early stage with a fire extinguisher. Somehow, if the fire extinguisher gets empty, make sure to evacuate yourself and the surrounding people immediately. And make sure to call the fire brigade ASAP to handle the fire professionally.
Conclusion
So these are the techniques of using a fire extinguisher before you need it. And we must recommend everyone to have a fire extinguisher in your home so that you can deal with any unfortunate fire accident. However, strictly follow the instructions written on the fire extinguisher label. And last but not least, strictly make sure to use the right type of extinguisher according to the type of fire. Otherwise, the accident can become fatal.