ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES

Fire extinguishers

fireexting2 jpgWhen you’re carrying out a fire risk assessment on your premises, you need to determine whether you have an appropriate number of fire extinguishers for your building and an adequate amount of staff trained to use them.

What is your legal duty?
If you employ people or have any other control over a workplace where people are employed, (e.g. a landlord) you have a legal duty to carry out a risk assessment under the regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Part of this involves looking at any firefighting equipment that might be needed for your premises.

In small premises, one or two extinguishers, suitably positioned, may be all that is required. However, in larger or more complex premises a greater number and/or range of portable extinguishers are likely to be needed.

What type of fire extinguishers do I need?
Before you consider purchasing fire extinguishers, you need to assess what the different fire risks are to your building, for example a restaurant kitchen will have different needs to that of an office.

For general fire risks, the most useful extinguisher is a water-type. One extinguisher should be provided for every 200 square metres of floor space with a minimum of one per floor.

The different classes of fire are listed below.

  • Class A – fires involving solid materials such as wood, paper etc.
  • Class B – fires involving liquids or liquefiable solids such as paints, oils or fats.
  • Class C – fires involving gases.
  • Class D – fires involving metals.
  • Class E – fires involving electrical apparatus (not an official class).
  • Class F – fires involving cooking oils or fats.

After you have made a judgement concerning the different fire risks to your building, you can then choose the appropriate fire extinguishers.

  • Water fire extinguisher – for Class A fires.
  • Foam fire extinguisher – for Class A and B fires.
  • Dry powder fire extinguisher – for Class A, B, C, E fires (for Class E fires you should isolate the supply fire before use).
  • Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher – for Class A, B, C or E fires.
  • Vaporising liquid fire extinguisher – for Class A, B or C fires.

All new extinguishers should conform to BSEN 3, which among other things dictates that all types of extinguisher should be predominately red. Older extinguishers with the different colour coding may remain in use until they reach the end of their effective life.  

Extinguishers should be positioned where they are visible and on escape routes. They should either be wall mounted at a convenient height or placed in purpose built in standards. The choice, site and maintenance of firefighting equipment should comply with BS 5306.

Test it!
Keep your fire extinguishers in good working order by following the manufacturers’ instructions and checking their condition once a week and arranging an annual maintenance check with a FETA Engineer (Fire Extinguisher Trades Association).

Other firefighting equipment
As well as fire extinguishers, you may want to consider investing in fire blankets or even a sprinkler system for your workplace.

Further advice on this type of equipment as well as fire extinguishers is available by downloading the appropriate guidance document from http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw/.

Training your employees
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service provide training on the use of fire extinguishers.