It’s likely that you’ve seen fire extinguishers in your place of work, or perhaps when you’ve been out shopping. You may even have one at home, ready to use should a fire break out. But would you know how to use a fire extinguisher? Unless you’ve been part of the fire marshal team at work and taken part in training for that, it could be very likely that you don’t know where to start! The following tips were published on safewise.com and you can read them here…
1. Identify a clear exit/escape route
Before operating the fire extinguisher, make sure you have a clear evacuation path. If you cannot put out the fire, you’ll need to make a safe exit. Consider this when determining where to store your fire extinguisher, and make sure you’ll have multiple exit options nearby after you retrieve it.
2. Stand back
Face the fire and keep your back to the clear exit you earlier identified. You should stay between six and eight feet away from the flames as you prepare to operate it.
3. Discharge extinguisher
It can be difficult to think clearly during an emergency, so fire safety has a long-standing acronym to help you recall the steps involved in operating your extinguisher. When extinguishing a fire, you should PASS:
P: Pull the pin on the fire extinguisher.
A: Aim the extinguisher nozzle on the hose low, toward the base of the fire.
S: Squeeze the handle or lever to discharge the extinguisher.
S: Sweep the nozzle back and forth. Keep the it aimed at the base of the fire and move it from side to side until the flames are extinguished.
4. Keep an eye on things
After the flames appear to be out, continue to watch the fire area to make sure it doesn’t reignite. If the fire does start up again, repeat the PASS process.
5. Call the fire department
If you didn’t have the chance to call the local fire department before discharging the extinguisher, do so now. They will be able to inspect the site of the fire and make sure that it is completely extinguished.
6. Get to a safe place
Once the fire is out, or if you are unable to extinguish the fire, leave the scene and find a place out of reach of the fire.
You can read the full article on safewise.com.
Do you think people in your business would benefit from learning how to use a fire extinguisher? Why not take a look at our fire marshal training courses. Those who have attended the fire safety courses in the past have found them to be highly useful: you can read some of their reviews on our testimonials page.
The fire extinguishers in your workplace should be regularly maintainted and fire extinguisher servicing should be carried out by a BAFE engineer annually. Contact our team to book in your fire extinguisher maintenance today.
