No home should be considered safe without a fire extinguisher. You can follow every fire safety best practice imaginable and still end up with a house fire. As fire protection professionals, we fully recognize the importance of preparedness for the worst. Purchasing a proper fire extinguisher is among the simplest things you can do to protect your home from flames. But what fire extinguisher do you need? Let’s review the basics of the fire extinguisher ‘class’ system.
What fire extinguisher does your typical homeowner need? Let’s review the fire extinguisher class system.
Class A
A class A fire extinguisher is perfect for putting out fires on your typical, solid flammable objects. This can include paper, fabric, leaves, or wood. For this reason, keeping a class A extinguisher in the same room as your fireplace is a great idea.
Class B
Class B fires are those involving flammable liquids. Typical examples include gasoline, kerosene, or grease. For this sort of fire, you should absolutely not use water, as it will only cause it to spread. Fire extinguishers with a class B rating are designed to put out these kinds of fires by ‘smothering’ them. This might make them a good inclusion in your kitchen or garage.
Class C
Class C extinguishers are for putting out electrical fires. Like with class B fires, water will absolutely not do the trick here. In fact, it could pose an electrocution risk. Instead, you should consider placing a class C fire extinguisher wherever you think an electrical fire might crop up—such as around your computer or behind your entertainment center.
So what fire extinguisher should I buy?
When determining what fire extinguisher to buy, you might feel tempted to get one of all three classes we’ve discussed above and place them in appropriate spots. This is an option, but we don’t necessarily recommend it. Having more fire extinguishers is always a good thing, but you run the risk of mixing them up and using one on the wrong type of fire.
Thankfully, there is such a thing as an ABC fire extinguisher. As you might have guessed, this is appropriate for use on all three of the categories we’ve discussed above. We recommend buying a couple of these and placing them around your house. For general fire safety, this is your best bet!
Keep in mind that there are actually more classes of fires and fire extinguishers than we went into above. But these are the only fires that are likely to occur in a domestic setting.
Commercial and Residential Fire Prevention from Judd Fire Protection
If you want to ensure your home and business are safe throughout the year, trust Judd Fire Protection, LLC. We have over two decades of experience designing, installing, inspecting, and repairing residential and commercial fire protection systems. We serve clients throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. If you are interested in finding out more about our services and protecting your home and business, give us a call at 410-871-3480 or contact us online. For more fire safety tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.