Chapter 8

Portable Fire Extinguishers

Introduction
Portable fire extinguishers designed
to fight:
Small fires
Unusual fires
Fires that cannot be reached quickly
with hoselines

Fire extinguishers are a valuable tool

8.2

Introduction (contd.)
Four basic PASS steps

P: Pull the pin

A: Aim the nozzle
S: Squeeze the handle
S: Sweep the base of the fire

Fire extinguishers come in a variety

of types and sizes

8.3

Fire Classification and Risk

Type of material burning defines
class of fire
Different classes of fire used to
identify type of extinguishers and
agents used
Four traditional classes of fire
Additional class added in the past few
years

Have a pre-incident plan for fuel

types and locations
8.4

Class A
Involves ordinary combustibles
Can be extinguished with:

Water
Water-based agents
Foam
Multipurpose dry chemicals

Water usually the agent used

8.5

Class B
Flammable and combustible
liquids, gases, and greases
Special hazards: situations where
fire extinguishers have not been
tested
Common extinguishing agents:
Carbon dioxide
Regular and multipurpose dry
chemical
Foam
8.6

Class C
Involves energized electrical equipment
Water-based agents cannot be used
Turn off electrical power and use
appropriate extinguisher
Categorized with another class of
extinguisher: BC or ABC
Agents include:
Carbon dioxide
Regular and multipurpose dry chemicals

8.7

Class D
Involves combustible metals and alloys
Can have erratic behavior
Water and other agents can react violently
when applied to burning combustible
metals
Appear to explode when water applied

No universal Class D extinguisher for all

metals
Class D agents called dry powders
Not to be confused with dry chemicals
8.8

Class K

New classification as of 1998

Fires in combustible cooking fuels
Agents are usually wet chemicals
Agents usually used in fixed systems

8.9

Figure 8-1 Class K equipment.

8.10

Types of Fire Extinguishers

Many types available
Factors for selecting an
extinguisher:
Type and amount of fuel
Person using extinguisher
Type of building construction and
occupancy
Type of equipment protected
Main objective is extinguishing the fire
8.11

Figure 8-2 Various types of fire extinguishers.

8.12

Types of Extinguishing Agents

Water is the basic agent for class A
materials
Loaded stream extinguisher
Water-based foam extinguishers have
either:
Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)
Film-Forming Fluoroprotein Foam (FFFP)

Carbon dioxide: inert gas stored under

pressure as a liquid capable of being selfexpelled
Dry chemical agents: particles propelled
by gaseous medium
8.13

Kinds of Extinguishers
Many types are in use today:
Small and handheld
Large and require a wheeled cart

Pump-type extinguishers are handpumped devices of two designs

Stored pressure extinguishers
expel gas to propel agent
Cartridge-operated extinguishers
have expelled gas stored in
cartridge on side of container
8.14

(A)

(B)

(C)

Figure 8-3 (A) Older versions of fire extinguishers are labeled

with colored geometrical shapes with letter designations. (B)
Newer fire extinguishers are labeled with a picture label system.
(C) Many fire extinguishers can be used to fight more than one
type of fire.
8.15

Rating Systems for

Portable Extinguishers
Each class of fuel is subjected to a
separate type of extinguisher test
for its class
Usually conducted by independent
testing agency
Appropriate ratings and symbols
are noted on label of extinguisher

8.16

Class A
Testing utilizes wood cribbing
Extinguisher should extinguish about
1 cubic foot of wood cribbing
Ratings increase as amount of fire
suppressed increases
Class 2-A extinguisher puts out twice
the fire of 1-A

8.17

Class B
Test involves igniting a pan of
flammable liquid, allowing a preburn period, and attacking the fire
Size of pan determines rating
4-square-foot pan yields rating of 4-B

Ratings based on inexperienced

extinguisher operator
Larger fires require more agent per
area than smaller ones
8.18

Class C
Testing tests only the conductivity
of:

Agent
Nozzle
Hose
Nozzle combination

No actual fire test

No numbers are assigned with
Class C rating
8.19

Figure 8-20 Class C test for electrical conductivity of

agent.

8.20

Limitations of Portable
Extinguishers
Exceeding capabilities can cause damage
and injury
Designed for specific purposes
First-aid method for fire extinguishment
Usually best to pick the larger size
Wrong class extinguisher may not do the
job
May cause a reaction or electrical shock
8.21

Portable Extinguisher
Operation
PASS outlines four simple steps for
extinguisher use:

P: Pull the pin

A: Aim the nozzle
S: Squeeze the handle
S: Sweep the base of the fire

8.22

Care and Maintenance of

Portable Extinguishers
Simple inspections and careful
storage prevent most problems
Vehicle operators should
periodically move unit from its
bracket to hand test weight and do
visual check

8.23

Care and Maintenance of

Portable Extinguishers (contd.)
Recharging water extinguisher is a
simple process
Performed at fire station by any
firefighter
Unscrew and remove the top
Add the manufacturers recommendation
of water
Add foam, if required
Replace the top
Charge the extinguisher with the
manufacturers recommendation of air 8.24

(A)

(C)
(B)
Figure 8-21 (A) Unscrew and remove the top. (B) Add the
manufacturers recommendation of water. (C) Add foam, if
required.
8.25

(D)

(E)

Figure 8-21 (contd.) (D) Replace the top. (E) Charge the
extinguisher with the manufacturers recommendation of air.

8.26

Inspection Requirements
Many popular fire extinguishers of
the past are now obsolete
Inspection of fire extinguishers is
usually a visual inspection
If something does not look right,
extinguisher should be removed and
replaced
Extinguishers returned to service
should be examined prior to their
placement on apparatus
8.27

Lessons Learned
Fire extinguishers can be used as:
Initial response tools
To fight fires in special situations

Firefighters classify fires by their

fuels
Ordinary combustibles
Flammable liquids and gases
Energized electrical equipment

Four-step process for using an

extinguisher: PASS
8.28