221. A small fire tackled with fire-fighting equipment in the early stages may be prevented from developing into a fire of life-threatening proportions. Fire fighting equipment can fall into one of two categories; either (a) it is designed for use by persons, such as portable fire extinguishers and hose reels or (b) it is a fixed installation, such as a sprinkler system which comes into operation automatically in the event of fire.
222. Portable fire fighting-equipment should be provided in premises for staff use. Fire-fighting equipment can be used to prevent a small fire developing into a large one. The safe use of an appropriate fire extinguisher to control a fire in its early stages can also reduce the risk to people in the premises.
223. For the purpose of selecting fire extinguishers, fires generated by different materials can be classified as in the following table.
Class of Fire |
Description |
| Class A | Fires involving solid materials such as wood, paper or textiles |
| Class B | Fires involving flammable liquids such as petrol, diesel or oils |
| Class C* | Fires involving gases |
| Class D* | Fires involving metals |
| Class F | Fires involving cooking oils such as in deep-fat fryers |
| *For class C and D fires, specialist advice is required. |
224. A Water Extinguisher (Red body) can only be used on Class A fires. It allows the user to direct water onto a fire from a considerable distance. A 9 litre water extinguisher can be quite heavy and some water extinguishers with additives can achieve the same rating, although they are smaller and therefore considerably lighter. This type of extinguisher is not suitable for use on live electrical equipment because water is a conductor of electricity.
225. A Water Extinguisher with Additives (Red body) is suitable for Class A fires and can also be suitable for use on Class B fires and where appropriate, this will be indicated on the extinguisher. This type is generally more efficient than conventional water extinguishers.
226. A Foam Extinguisher (Red body with cream label/band) can be used on Class A or B fires and is particularly suited to extinguishing liquid fires. It should not be used on free-flowing liquid fires unless the operator has been specially trained, as these have the potential to rapidly spread the fire to adjacent material. This type of extinguisher is not suitable for deep-fat fryers or chip pans.
227. A Powder Extinguisher (Red body with blue label/band) can be used on most classes of fire and achieve a good 'knock down' of the fire. It can be used on fires involving electrical equipment but may damage the equipment. Since powder does not cool a fire appreciably, it should be noted that the fire may re-ignite.
228. A Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Extinguisher (Red body with black label/band) can be used on class B fires and is particularly suitable for fires involving electrical equipment as it is a non-conductor. As with all fires involving electrical equipment, the power should be disconnected if possible. The loud noise accompanying discharge and the freezing effect on the discharge horn of this extinguisher can startle operators so that they drop the extinguisher. It should be noted that CO2 may not cool a fire appreciably and the fire may therefore re-ignite.
229. A Class 'F' extinguisher (Red with canary yellow label/band) is particularly suitable for commercial catering establishments with deep-fat fryers.
230. In small premises, having one or two portable fire extinguishers of the appropriate type and readily available for use, may be all that is necessary. In larger, more complex premises, more extinguishers will be required. Portable extinguishers should be simple to operate and easily accessible. They should also be within the handling capabilities of staff who may be called upon to use them. It may also be necessary to indicate the location of extinguishers by suitable signs.
231. Technical Annexe 13.13 contains further information on portable fire extinguishers and benchmarks against which existing provision can be compared.
232. Permanent hose reels provide an effective fire-fighting facility; they are fixed units permanently connected to a water supply. They may offer an alternative, or be in addition to, portable fire extinguishers. There are disadvantages with hose reels that should be considered; when deployed a hose reel may obstruct doors causing the spread of smoke, and it may pose an obstacle to the movement or escape of persons.
233. A fire blanket is appropriate where there are containers of cooking oil or fat and there is the potential for fire. A fire blanket may be used to smother a small fire involving oil or fat.
234. Where fire-fighting equipment is provided, a suitable number of staff should be trained in its use.
235. An automatic life safety fire suppression system may be an automatic sprinkler system or an equivalent system. Sprinklers can be designed to protect life and/or property and may be regarded as a cost-effective solution for reducing the risks created by fire. Automatic life safety fire sprinkler systems operate automatically on detection of an outbreak of fire within the building to inhibit the spread of fire. Water is discharged from the individual sprinkler head which has detected heat from the fire, other sprinkler heads remain closed.
236. An automatic life safety fire suppression system can be very effective in controlling a fire. It may limit fire growth and extend the time taken for untenable conditions to develop giving more time to evacuate, particularly in cases where the standard of fire compartmentation, structural fire protection, fire spread on internal linings or travel distance may be a concern. Where buildings are fitted with a smoke and heat exhaust ventilation system, sprinklers are usually installed to restrict the potential fire to a particular size assumed in the design. Sprinklers may also be fitted to compensate for increased compartment size.
237. Benchmarks for sprinklers are contained in Technical Annexe 13.14.