Fire Extinguishers

General guidelines for the number and type of fire extinguishers to suit your business is to have one 9 litre water or foam extinguisher for every 200m² of floor area. You should also have suitable extinguisher(s) for fires involving live electrical appliances, liquid fires, etc, such as a carbon dioxide (CO²) fire extinguisher.

For homes, normally powder extinguishers (as well as fire blankets) are the most popular as they cover all classes of fires.

Fire Classifications

Internationally there are several accepted classification methods for hand-held fire extinguishers. Each classification is useful in fighting fires with a particular group of fuel. In the UK (and EU) there are 6 classifications of fire defined by the European Standard BS EN 3. These are:-

Class A: Fires caused by combustion of solid materials. e.g. mainly wood, paper, straw, textiles, coal and car tyres.
Class B: Fires caused by combustion of liquids or materials that liquify. e.g. petrol, benzene, oils, fats, paints, paraffin.
Class C: Fires caused by the combustion of gases. e.g. methane, propane, hydrogen, natural gas.
Class D: Fires caused by the combustion of metals. e.g. aluminium, magnesium, lithium, and alloys.
Class E: Fires involving live electrical items.
Class F: Fires caused by combustion of cooking fat and oil.