Do's and Don'ts of Using Fire Extinguisher

3/15/2020 (Permalink)

A fire extinguisher is an important thing to have.

­A fire­ extinguisher is a key tool in the fight to protect your Cheltenham, PA property from kitchen fires or worse. Fortunately, most home or business fire extinguishers will sit gathering dust for years. But in the unfortunate event that you do need to use your extinguisher, it’s an absolute necessity that you know how to do it effectively. Here are a few do’s and don’ts of using an extinguisher.

How Extinguishers Work
On its face, an extinguisher works by pulling a trigger to release a fire extinguishing material. What that material is can vary but some of the most common ones are the following:

Water extinguishers - these use water to remove heat from the fire
Dry chemical extinguishers - these work by smothering a fire with foam or dry powder

The average fire extinguisher is a chemical one. Here are a few do’s and don’ts of using these devices.

Do Shoot the Base
Shooting wildly at a fire is not the best way to put it out. Instead, you’ll want to shoot the extinguisher at the fire’s base to extinguish the flames quickly. Point and shoot the extinguisher at the bottom of the flames.

Don’t Shoot Indiscriminately
The average extinguisher has only about 20 to 30 seconds of propellant power, so you should use it wisely. That means squeezing the trigger in a controlled way to ensure the extinguishing agent sprays the fire and not the rest of your property.

Do Use a Sweeping Motion
It’s important that when you spray, you use a sweeping motion. Spray across the base of the flames to ensure that the whole fire is covered with the extinguishing agent.

A fire extinguisher is an important thing to have. But it’s even more important to know how to use it. Use these tips from your local fire damage pros and you’ll know how to use an extinguisher should the need ever arise.