As an employer or building owner, it is your job to provide general safety for your employees and/or tenants. You must give them access to first aid whenever they need it and protect them from life-threatening accidents, such as fires. In response to this, fire engineering codes across the country mandate that every building, whether commercial or residential, must have fire fighting and fire safety equipment that will keep its people safe. More than just a requirement, in a way, you can consider these equipment your investments because they are the things you need to help your employees/tenants preserve their property and ultimately their lives.
Now that you’ve realized their importance, the next thing to do is determine which of these tools are appropriate for your home/industry. This part can be a bit trivial because if you have already done your research then you should know that there are many tools to choose from. And to make things a little more difficult for you, not all of them are suitable for you.
Like fire extinguishers for example, did you know that only in the UK there are 7 types of fire extinguishers available on the market? They are grouped according to the types of flames they can extinguish and their content.
Here is a simple graph for your reference:
Type of Fire Extinguisher: Classes of Fire it can Extinguish
Water/ Pressurized water: A
Foam: A, B
Dry powder: A, B, C, E
CO2 (carbon dioxide): B, E
Wet Chemical: A, B, F
Dust Class D: D
Halon Gas: Used exclusively by military
Note that in this chart, the fire classes are as follows:
o A – for easily combustible substances such as paper, cloth and tissue
or B – fires caused by combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene and oil
o C – caused by flammable gases
o D – originated from highly reactive and combustible metals
o E – from electrical sparks
o F – Kitchen fires caused by edible grease
Now, if you are someone who has always regarded fire extinguishers as something that looks the same, then that may be quite the awakening for you, right? But of course, it doesn’t end there, as you explore the shelves, you will find that more security equipment is waiting for you. With so many options, the question now is, how are you going to determine which one is right for you and your office?
Don’t stress about thinking too much because you can actually answer your own question by thinking about these three factors:
1. The type of office or industries that are in your building: This factor will help you and your sheriff to identify substances with a high risk of burning and, in turn, will help you choose the right extinguisher for it.
2. The size of your office: to determine how many units of fire extinguishers and safety signs you need to mount and place.
3. Your Budget – If you’re a small operation and don’t really have a lot to spend on fire safety equipment, you can always go for the smallest version of each variety. Fire extinguishers, for example, come in small and large sizes to fit anyone’s budget.
Those are three factors that will make your selection a little easier. If you’re new to this, be sure to involve someone who knows the trade to ensure he’s making the right decisions and choices.