|
|
|
FIRE SYSTEMS, INC
:: FAQ > Portable Fire
Extinguishers
|
< Back |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
|
Q. |
How do I know if I have enough fire
extinguishers? |
|
A. |
The
standard rule of thumb is a travel
distance of no more than seventy-five
feet for Class “A” hazards and fifty
feet travel distance for Class “B”
hazards.
These are general guidelines and can
differ based on many factors. Fire
Extinguisher spacing is addressed in
NFPA 10 (Standard for Portable Fire
Extinguishers) section 6.2.1.1.
| |
|
|
CLASS A: |
Fires with trash, wood, paper or
other combustible materials as
the fuel source. |
|
CLASS B: |
Fires with flammable or
combustible liquids as the fuel
source. |
|
| |
|
|
Q. |
Must I train my employees in the proper
use of Fire Extinguishers? |
|
A. |
Requirements: Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) Title 29, part 1910 (OSHA)
section 157 paragraph g.1 & 2 states...
“Where the employer has provided
Portable Fire Extinguishers for employee
use in the workplace, the employer shall
also provide an educational program to
familiarize employees with the general
principles of fire extinguisher use and
the hazards involved with incipient
stage fire fighting. The employer shall
provide the education required in
paragraph (g)(1) of this section upon
initial employment and at least annually
thereafter.”
Fire Systems, Inc. can help with the
required training. Contact us for an
onsite comprehensive training program. |
| |
|
|
Q. |
How often must I have my Fire
Extinguishers Inspected? |
|
A. |
It
is the owners’ responsibility to inspect
the fire extinguishers at a minimum of
thirty day intervals. Fire extinguishers
shall be inspected at more frequent
intervals when circumstances require.
Fire extinguishers shall be subjected to
maintenance at intervals of not more
than 1 year, at the time of hydrostatic
test, or when specifically indicated by
an inspection or electronic
notification.
Maintenance Record
Keeping: Each fire extinguisher shall
have a tag or label securely attached
that indicates the month and year the
maintenance was performed, identifies
the person performing the work, and
identifies the name of the agency
performing the work.
* The
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire
Commissioner's Office requires all
companies that perform maintenance on
fire extinguishers to be licensed and
permitted through their office. A list
of approved companies is provided on
their website.
|
| |
|
|
Q. |
Which extinguisher is required for a
Commercial Kitchen? |
|
A. |
Class K combustible cooking media fires
typically involve kitchen appliances
containing quantities of cooking greases
or oils that present special hazard
extinguishment and re-flash concerns.
Only extinguishing agents having the
ability to saponify and create a thick,
heavy, long-lasting type of foam blanket
upon the hot cooking media surface seal
out the oxygen, cool the cooking media,
and keep these fire situations out. The
Class K listed fire extinguishers have
effectively demonstrated the ability to
address these commercial kitchen types
of fire hazard situations.
Class K Fires - Class K fires are
fires in cooking appliances that involve
combustible cooking media (vegetable or
animal oils and fats). Fire
extinguishers for the protection of
Class K hazards shall be selected from
types that are specifically listed and
labeled for use on Class K fires.
Existing dry chemical extinguishers
without a Class K listing that were
installed for the protection of Class K
hazards shall be replaced with an
extinguisher having a Class K listing
when the dry chemical extinguishers
become due for either a 6-year
maintenance or hydrostatic test. Class K
fire extinguishers shall be provided for
hazards where there is a potential for
fires involving combustible cooking
media (vegetable or animal oils and
fats).
Maximum travel distance shall not exceed
30 ft (9.15 m) from the hazard to the
extinguishers. |
| |
|
|
Q. |
What is the best fire extinguisher for
Sensitive Electrical Equipment and
High-value Assets? |
|
A. |
There are several clean agent fire
extinguishers on the market that are
rated for class A, B and C class fires
yet will not damage sensitive electrical
equipment. These extinguishers leave no
residue and require no clean up after
discharge. Two examples are the Cleanguard FE 36 extinguisher
(manufactured by Ansul) and the Halotron
I (manufactured by Amerex).
Typical
clean agent applications:
-
Computer rooms
-
Data
and document storage
-
Communication facilities
-
Hospital operating rooms
-
Control rooms
-
Electronic manufacturing
-
Museums
-
Laboratories
HALOTRON I is a “Clean Agent”
HydroChloroFluoroCarbon (HCFC)
discharged as a rapidly evaporating
liquid which leaves no residue. It
effectively extinguishes Class A and B
fires by cooling and smothering and it
will not conduct electricity back to the
operator. Halotron is pressurized with
Argon gas and is an EPA and FAA approved
agent suitable for use on Class A, B and
C fires. It has a low GWP of 0.04 –
0.24, low ODP of 0.014 (twelve times
lower than the EPA maximum allowable ODP
of 0.20) and a low Atmospheric Lifetime
(31⁄2 to 11 years). Halotron is intended
for use in areas formerly protected by
Halon 1211 hand portable extinguishers
such as computer rooms,
telecommunications facilities, clean
rooms, data storage areas, offices (for
protection of sensitive electronic
equipment), boats and vehicles.
DuPont™ FE-36™ is proving to be the
standard in-kind replacement for Halon
1211 in portable fire extinguishers.
DuPont™ FE-36™ has comparable
performance and efficiency to Halon
1211, lower toxicity, as well as zero
ozone depletion potential. In a portable
fire extinguisher, DuPont™ FE-36™ is
discharged as a stream of gas and liquid
droplets that penetrate into the fire
area, ceasing the combustion process
through heat absorption and a chemical
interaction. DuPont™ FE-36™ is also a
replacement for Halon 1301 in local
application systems, such as modular
systems. |
| |
<
Back to
top |
| |
Please
contact
Fire Systems, Inc. for answers to any
questions you may have on our Fire Protection
products or services. We look forward to working
with you! |
|
|
|
