Fire extinguishers might seem relatively straight forward — you just point the nozzle and the fire and pull the trigger — but they’re a bit more complicated than people think. Before you ever pick any fire extinguishers, you must first know when, and how to use them. Here are a few tips to help you be prepared.
When Should You Use Fire Extinguishers.
Most home fire extinguishers are small, and are meant for immediate use on smaller fires — not to fight big blazes. This means the only time you can really use home fire extinguishers is when the fire first starts, before it gets even a little out of hand. For example, if something catches fire in the waste basket or something on the stove starts on fire, then you can use it. But as soon as that fire gets bigger, your job is to escape.
Besides the size of the fire, the fire protection handbook says that there are a couple other indicators of when it’s safe to use an extinguisher. It basically says that the only time you should use one is when you’re safely away from any toxic smoke being produced by the fire, if you have a way to escape, and — most importantly — if you’ve told others that there’s a fire.
How to Use Fire Extinguishers.
If the fire is one you can fight with fire protection equipment, then you need to use the P.A.S.S. system — Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep. Pull the fire suppression equipment’s pin at the top. Aim at the fire’s base. Squeeze the handle. Sweep the nozzle from side to side until the fire goes out. Once out, shut the extinguisher off and wait a minute, watching to see if it gets rekindled in any way.
Yes, it’s important to keep fire extinquishers handy in your home, but it’s more important to know when and how to use them. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.
