Our resident firefighters’ guide to using an extinguisher

We’re here to P.A.S.S. you some fire safety tips this holiday season

Fire extinguishers are often the first suppression equipment used to attempt to stop a fire in its early stages. They can make or break a small incident transitioning into a full blown emergency.

Here are a few tips and tricks our resident firefighters want you to know about extinguishers:

Tip #1 - They’re not all the same

Extinguishers generally contain one of a number firefighting agents, for example:

• Water

• Foam

• Dry Chemical Powder

• Carbon Dioxide

• Wet Chemical

In the moment it’s important to choose the right firefighting agent – a water extinguisher on an electrical fire will be ineffective and create a new hazard.

Tip # 2 - Fires grow more quickly than you’d think

Australia’s catastrophic bushfires in summer 2019 really brought home to many people just how quickly fire can move. This is not only true in a rural and bushfire setting, but also wherever fuel load exists - like a factory full of cardboard boxes or an office space with a lot of furniture. Seconds count, and the difference can result in a fire developing to an unsafe and uncontrollable size that is no longer able to be safely contained with an extinguisher.

Tip #3 - Use the P.A.S.S. method to pass the grade in extinguisher usage

Once you have the right extinguisher to hand, you must follow the basic steps of fire extinguisher operation. Firstly, stand at a safe distance and use the maximum effective range for your equipment, then:

• P – Pull the pin;

• A – Aim at the base of the fire;

• S – Squeeze the trigger; and

• S – Sweep across the base of the fire.

Our Managing Director, Jason Wood, demonstrates the P.A.S.S. method.

Stay calm and call 000. Document any incidents shortly after they occur.

Training your team on these simple steps is a great way of proactively managing fire risk – if your team can operate a fire extinguisher it can be noted in your facility emergency plan and added to your risk management tool kit.

When every second counts, know how to act to protect what you value. Contact Safety 101 today to discuss options and get your team trained up so they can effectively respond to a small emergency in your facility: admin@safety-101.com