Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguisher

Investing in a high-quality fire extinguisher is always a good move. It may feel as a non value adding expenditure when you see the red cylinder hanging on your home or office wall coated in dust, but its significance is much higher, and you realize its importance when fire breaks into your home or office and this red solider saves you thousands of dollar, some very important documents, some precious personal collection or even you life.

A typical fire extinguisher is a small device used to extinguish and control small fire often in crisis conditions. It is not intended to be used for big fire break out or severe conditions, where fire brigade is required, but it helps control fire to a larger extent. Although fire extinguishers being small in size have their limitations, but they come very handy taking instant control over the fire until further help is called or fire brigade arrives.

Fire catches as a chemical combustion reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere with some highly inflammable substance e.g. gas, petroleum, wood etc. The inflammable substance does not catch fire on its own when surrounded by oxygen. The chemical combustion happens when these substances are very heated so mush so that they reach their ignition temperature. The utmost essential elements involved in the chemical combustion reaction are extreme heat, oxygen and fuel. A typical fire extinguisher is designed to eliminate at least one of these elements so that the fires die.

Fire extinguishers can be classified into two categories on the basis of handling; handheld and cart-mounted. Handheld extinguishers usually weigh from 1 to 30 pounds (0.5 to 14 kilograms), and are hence effortlessly transportable by hand. Cart-mounted units typically weigh 50+ pounds (23+ kilograms). Fire extinguisher can further be classified into several categories, depending upon the type of chemical used inside the chamber.

The inception of modern day fire extinguisher was around 1818 when British Captain George William Manby made a fire extinguisher which consisted of a copper vessel of 3 gallons (13.6 litres) of pearl ash (potassium carbonate) solution contained within compressed air. Since then there has been a lot of change in design, concept and the chemical used inside the chambers on fire extinguisher, but the very purpose of the red soldier stays unchanged, guarding you and your valuables in case of a fire break.

Have you invested in a good fire extinguisher! Yes; great, you can sleep in peace. No; go and shop today for a fire extinguisher.

This article is provided by  http://www.fire-extinguisher-company.co.uk for Fire-extinguisher consumers. If you would like to access a large pull of knowledge on different types of extinguishers, please visit http://www.fire-extinguisher-company.co.uk

 

This video was created by the Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association to train viewers to learn how to assess a potential fire situation and use a portable fire extinguisher in the event of a fire emergency. For more information about the Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association, visit www.femalifesafety.org

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Posted by admin on September 12th, 2010 :: Filed under Fire Extinguishers
Tags :: Extinguishers, Fire

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