Fire Extinguishers
ABCD Spells
Fire?
Yes, because all fires can be placed in one of these four classification:
- What is a Class A fire?
A fire involving ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber and some plastics. - What is a Class B fire?
A fire involving ordinary flammable or combustible liquids, flammable gases, greases and similar materials such as gasoline, oil, paint and natural and propane gases. - What is a Class C fire?
A fire of this nature is usually a Class A or B fire, but also involves energized electrical equipment. Wiring and electrical appliances are in this class. - What is a Class D fire?
A fire involving certain combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc.
How
do you know which extinguisher to use?
The following symbols indicate the extinguisher is applicable for
use on:
Class A fires |
The background of the symbol will be either Metallic or Green. |
Class
B fires |
The
background of the symbol will be either Metallic or Red. It will always be found on Dry Chemical, Multi-Purpose Dry Chemical, Carbon Dioxide, Halon and Foam type extinguishers. |
Class
C fires |
The
background of the symbol will be either Metallic or Blue. It will always be found on Dry Chemical, Multi-Purpose Dry Chemical, Carbon Dioxide and Halon extinguishers. |
Class
D fires |
The
background of the symbol will be either Metallic or Yellow. It will always be found on special Dry Powder extinguishers, but it would be a rare case indeed for you to be faced with a Class D fire, especially in the home or office. |
| Class A | Class B | Class C | Class D | |
On which fires is Water used and why? |
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On which fires is Dry Chemical used and why? |
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On which fires is Multi-purpose Dry Chemical used
and why? |
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On which fires is Carbon Dioxide used and why? |
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On which fires is Foam used and why? |
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On which fires is Dry Powder used and why? |
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