Understanding the different types of fire extinguishers is equally as important as knowing how to use, handle and maintain each of them. They come in different shapes, sizes and colours and each of them is specifically designed to tackle a certain type of fire.
All fires are not the same this is why the composition of each type of fire extinguisher is not the same for example a fire involving electrical equipment might require a different type of fire extinguisher from a fire involving cooking oils.
It’s no secret that fire extinguishers play a vital role in protecting people and their property but not understanding which type of fire extinguisher to use on a specific type of fire can drastically reduce the effectiveness of the fire extinguisher.
While some of these fire extinguishers are well known for putting out multiple types of fires they’re often put into classes to determine their maximum effectiveness. In the UK the 5 most common types of fire extinguishers are:
Water Fire ExtinguishersWet Chemical Fire Extinguishers
Identifying the different types of fire extinguishers is a common mistake quite a few people make , some of them are not even aware that each type is represented by a different colour band.
Fire extinguishers are required by law to carry a certain colour code on the label depending on their contents, this applies to every fire extinguisher manufactured over the recent years and those manufactured in the future but there are still quite a few older types of fire extinguishers that do not have the fire extinguisher colour coding on the label.
