Outdated, faulty or ineffective fire extinguishers can place lives and property at risk in the case of a fire emergency. That is why it’s critical to have fire extinguishers on your premises or throughout your site regularly tested by professional fire technicians in accordance with AS1851.

Firetick's fire extinguisher maintenance program involves regularly testing and servicing your fire extinguishers to ensure they are functioning correctly, reach their life expectancy and comply with the relevant Australian Standards AS2444.
 

There is no one extinguisher type which works on all classes of fire. Below is a summary of the classes of fire, and a quick reference chart showing which types of extinguisher should be used on each.  We then provide a detailed explanation of each type of fire extinguisher below.

 

There are six classes of fire: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, ‘Electrical’, and Class F.

• Class A fires – combustible materials: caused by flammable solids, such wood, paper, cloth, plastics, rubber, coal, carbon based compounds etc.

• Class B fires – flammable liquids: such as petrol, oil, paint, thinners, kerosene, alcohol, etc.

• Class C fires – flammable gases: like L.P.G., butane, acetylene, hydrogen, natural gas and methane etc.

• Class D fires – combustible metals: chemicals such as magnesium, aluminium, sodium or potassium etc.

• Electrical fires – electrical equipment: computers, switchboards, power-boards, etc.

• Class F fires – cooking oils: cooking oils and fats usually found in industrial kitchens etc.

 

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Water

Water reduces the temperature below that required for ignition (ignition temperature).

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Water extinguishers may include corrosion inhibitors, freezing point depressants and/or wetting agents which prevent corrosion of the extinguisher cylinder, reduce the freezing point of water, and improve the water's effectiveness in extinguishing fires, respectively.

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Foam

An aqueous solution of water and foam concentrate.

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The extinguisher agent acts by providing a layer of foam solution over the top of a fuel which excludes air. For Class A fires it also lowers their temperature.

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Two main types of foam are aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and alcohol-resistant aqueous film-forming foam (commonly referred to as AR-AFFF or ATC (alcohol type concentrate) foam).

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AFFF is used on common flammable liquid fires involving petrol, oil or paint whereas AR-AFFF is used for polar solvents that mix with water (e.g. alcohol and acetone) as, unlike AFFF, AR-AFFF does not readily mix with such solvents.

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Fluorine free (F3) foam extinguishers are also now available. Please refer to the manufacturer's instruction as to whether they can be used for polar solvents.

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Carbon Dioxide (C02)

Carbon dioxide stored at high pressure in a liquid state.

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Carbon dioxide displaces air to produce an atmosphere deficient of oxygen to a level that will not allow combustion.

 

Dry Chemical Powder

The two most common types of powders are BE (usually based on sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate) and ABE (usually based on monoammonium phosphate).

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There are also special powders for metal fires, which may not be effective on other classes of fire.

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Powder physically absorbs fuel molecules into its surface and interrupts the combustion chemical reaction.

 

Wet Chemical

An aqueous solution, typically of alkali metal salts.

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This extinguisher agent reacts with the surface of the cooking oil or fat, creating a barrier which seals off the oxygen supply.