In the table below we go over the minimum requirements for vehicle and vessel fire extinguishers. This general guidance does not replace other rules, regulations and codes of practice that deal with specific types of vehicles, commercial ships and watercraft. For pleasure craft greater than 6m in length, additional fire extinguishers may be warranted. From https://fireprotectiononline.co.nz/fire-extinguisher-requirements-for-vehicles-and-boats/
Fire is a constant danger when you're using flammable materials in any workshop. Your safety depends on whether you can
Identify the cause of the fire.
Identify the correct extinguisher to use on different fires.
Correctly operate the fire extinguisher.
Elements of fire
Fuel, heat and oxygen must be present before there can be a fire:
Fuel is anything combustible: any solid, liquid or gas that can burn, for example, wood, paper, oil, solvents and so on.
Heat can come from flames, sparks, friction, electrical sources, hot pipes and equipment.
Oxygen comes mainly from the air but also from some chemicals.
To put out a fire, remove one of the three elements by:
Removing fuel to starve the fire.
Removing oxygen to smother the fire.
Cooling the heat by using water.
Types of fire
The fuel that is burning dictates the kind
of extinguisher you use to fight the fire. To help you understand this
concept, you need to know how fires are classified and which fire
extinguishers are suitable for each class. We will look at the following
classes of fire A, B, E, and D.
Class A Fires
Class A fires start when materials such as paper, rubbish, wood, cloth or other carbon-based materials ignite.
Class B Fires
Class B fires involve flammable liquids such
as paints, oil and petrol. With these materials, its the vapours or
fumes that burn rather than the liquid. Because the vapours are lighter
than the air, they can drift away from the seat of the fire, and then
ignite, causing what's called a flash off. This instantaneously
increases the size of the fire and is very dangerous.
Class D Fires
Class D fires are fires involving
combustible metals such as sodium, magnesium, lithium and potassium.
Specialised dry powders are available to control these fires.
Class E Fires
Class E fires are electrical fires. They
usually start because of short circuit or arching in loose connections,
or because wiring becomes overheated. You must be very careful here
because there is the added risk of electrical shock as well as the
threat from the fire. Switch off the power if you can safely.
Types Of Fire Extinguisher
Fire Extinguisher Types NZ
There are five types of fire extinguisher found throughout the working environment, they are
Carbon Dioxide
Dry Powder
Foam
Water
Wet Chemical
The type of fire extinguisher you can use for each class of fire is as follows Class A Fires:
Water, dry powder, foam, co2 and wet chemical extinguishers are
suitable for this kind of fire. Your best plan of attack is to locate
the nearest fire hose. This will give you a constant stream of cold
water. The temperature at the base of the fire will cool to a point
below that needed for combustion to take place. Class B Fires:
these fires can be put out using foam, dry powder or co2 extinguishers.
These starve the fire of the oxygen it requires for burning. Water is
useless in these situations because it will only spread the fuel around
and increase the base of the fire. Class D Fires: these
fires require specialised powders and are usually designed for a
specific metal such as lithium, sodium, magnesium, etc. Sand can also be
used to smother the fire. Using water would produce hydrogen (H2) and
cause an explosion. Class E Fires: use dry powder or co2
extinguishers to fight electrical fires. Neither of these conducts
electricity, and both starve the fire of the oxygen it requires for
burning.
You must never use water on an electrical fire. Water and
electricity do not mix. Water is a good conductor and will suck the
electricity to the source of the water.
Fire extinguishers are
colour coded to help you identify the contents and which kind of fire
they should be used on. They have easy to follow operating instructions.
Make sure that you read these instructions before you have to use an
extinguisher. This will save you time in a real emergency situation and
help you feel more confident.
Fire Hose Reels
Fire
hose reels should be located to provide a reasonably accessible and
controlled supply of water to combat potential fire risks. The length of
a fully extended fire hose is normally between 18 to 36 metres. Hose
diameters are usually 13 or 19 millimetres ( internal measurement).
Fire
hose reels usually deliver a minimum of 14 litres of water per minute.
However, some hose reels have flows of up to 75 litres per minute. A
control nozzle attached to the end of the hose enables the operator to
control the direction and flow of the water.
Surprisingly, baking soda can put out a small, contained fire.
However, it would require a great deal of baking soda and your fire may not be included.
Preferably,
be prepared with a Class E CO2 fire extinguisher. This will effectively
put out an electrical fire stemming from home appliances, electrical
wiring, outlets and breaker and is, therefore, the best fire
extinguisher for an electrical fire.
CO2 fire extinguishers work by lowering the quantity of oxygen offered to the fire.
They contain co2-- this is necessary for electrical fires as water or other liquids could make the fire even worse.
You will see a black stripe on the extinguisher with 'CO2' plainly printed.
To discover how to utilize a fire extinguisher refer to our short article "How To Utilize A Fire Extinguisher-- PASS Technique".
WHAT IS A CLASS E FIRE?
Any fires triggered by
electrical devices or appliances (heating systems, switchboards and so
on) are categorized as Class E fires.
Here are some warning indications you might have an electrical fire:
Your breaker keeps tripping
A persistent burning odour that you can't locate the source of
Burnt or discoloured outlets or switches
Need to you see any of these, call your electrician immediately to fix the issue.
HOW TO AVOID AN ELECTRICAL FIRE?
Did you understand that lots of electrical fires are avoidable?
Some
electrical fires result from appliance failure or wiring issues, but
others are triggered by errors that we make around the house or office.
To
help in reducing the risk of electrical fires, we are going to take a
look at the leading five causes and what you can do to prevent them.
An electrical fire caused by malfunctioning outlet or circuitry
Defective outlets and home appliances
Prevention:
Examine your outlets. Look for exposed wires and gaps in between the outlet and wall around it.
Pay
specific attention to those outlets used regularly, such as the
bathroom and kitchen. Outlets in these locations should also be
installed somewhere that can prevent water.
Replace old
home appliances. You ought to never use an appliance that has a worn
cord as this can send out heat onto other surfaces and trigger a fire.
Check these frequently and if you find a fault, alter the cord or
appliance.
Electrical wiring
Avoidance:
Call
an expert. Old electrical wiring has a hard time to handle the variety
of electrical devices that are included with time, such as air
conditioning unit and wide-screen TVs.
An electrical
contractor will be able to identify and replace old electrical wiring.
Guarantee they perform a detailed security check of circuitry and
outlets.
Lighting fixtures
Prevention:
Inspect
the optimum advised bulb wattage. You will increase the threat of
electrical fire if you select a light bulb with a higher wattage than
this amount.
Never go over the recommended wattage for a light or lighting fixture.
Extension cables and power boards
Avoidance:
Use
sparingly. Extension cables ought to only ever be utilized as a
short-term option for minimal plug sockets. Don't keep home appliances
plugged into extension cords for an extended period.
Prevent overloading power boards. Too many devices in one powerboard can cause a fire.
Area heaters
Avoidance:
Keep
3 feet far from environments. It's best to utilize your heating system
in the middle of the room, away from other objects that might set on
fire. The general guideline is 3 feet away from other things.
Do
not plug into power boards or extension cables. They can not manage the
high energy circulation needed for an area heater and can ignite.
Change
old devices. You need never to utilize an appliance that has a worn
cord as this can send heat onto other surface areas and trigger a fire.
Inspect these regularly and if you find a fault, alter the cord or home
appliance.
Don't keep devices plugged into extension cords for a long duration of time.
It's finest to use your heating unit in the middle of the room, away from other things that may set on fire.
New
Zealand fire extinguisher types differ from those found around the
world. It is essential that you are familiar which fire extinguisher is
suitable for each class of fire. It's simple to identify the type of
fire extinguisher by the band of colour running around the top of the
cylinder.
The Five Main Types Of Fire Extinguishers found In NZ Are:
Fire is a chemical reaction which needs three things to be present so it can happen: OXYGEN + HEAT + FUEL = FIRE
If one of these is not present, the fire cannot start. If one of these were taken from a fire, it would go out.
But how does this all work?
The parts of the fire triangle are these : Heat, Fuel and Oxygen.
These
three parts are required for a fire to be present, so to secure against
or to put out a current fire we should eliminate a minimum of one of
the aspects.
Various extinguisher types are created to get rid of several of those components to put out a fire.
As
an example, water removes heat and foam can stop oxygen from getting in
touch with fire by covering it similar to a blanket. To cut out the
fuel source might be more difficult.
