The label on your fire extinguisher indicates how effective the extinguisher will be in fighting the type of fire it is designed to fight. Here are some commonly seen symbols on fire extinguishers and what they mean.
What Do The Symbols On A Fire Extinguisher Indicate? You should think of this anytime you pick a fire extinguisher. This is because every information you need about the fire extinguisher is on the fire extinguisher.
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There are two major symbols you can look for on your fire extinguishers –
- One will indicate what kind of fire you should use it on (Fire Extinguisher Class Symbol)
- The other is how to use it.
You can find these labels on every fire extinguisher, just make sure you know what they mean before using it.
What Do The Symbols On A Fire Extinguisher Indicate
We will state what you will see in every fire extinguisher when you pick it up:
The Fire Extinguisher Class Symbol
The first symbol that is very obvious in any fire extinguisher, is a symbol showing the class of fire the fire extinguisher is suitable for.
Here are some examples of what each fire extinguisher class means: Class A covers ordinary combustibles like wood, paper and cloth. Class B is for flammable liquids such as petrol or paint. Class C is for energized electrical equipment and conductors. And finally, Class D is for combustible metals such as magnesium or titanium alloys.
Aside from the letters, there are also symbols which conveys the same message.
See pictures below:
1. The first symbol represents class of fire – Involve ordinary combustible materials, such as cloth, wood, paper, rubber, and many plastics.
2. The second symbol represents flammable liquid – Such paraffin or petrol
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3. The third symbol represents electrical fire
4. The fourth symbol represents fire involving fat and cooking oil.
Understanding this signs is very important as it guides on the most suitable fire extinguisher for any kind of fire.
You can easily read fire extinguishers because they are color coded. Class B fire extinguishers, for example, are red. Class C is green while white or silver shows ordinary combustibles. Aluminum/Gray denotes water-based agent and black denotes a dry powder based fire extinguisher.
Aside from that, there are also some other symbols which you should be aware of: – ABC – These three letters represent an all-purpose type of fire extinguisher. It can be used to put out fires in any class of materials including electric equipment.
Fire Extinguisher Use Symbol
Other very obvious fire extinguisher markings are the symbols guiding on the use of the fire extinguisher.
It is always important to know how to use a fire extinguisher, and what type of extinguishers you need before they are used. While it is not extremely hard to use one, there are some safety precautions that you have to follow when using them. In order to make sure that you do not harm yourself or anyone else while trying to put out a fire, here are some things you should know about your fire extinguisher:
There will be an arrow on your extinguisher indicating which way it should be pointed when being used. This can help prevent any injuries from occurring if someone is walking into where you are aiming.
There will also be an indication on whether or not your particular extinguisher can be used on electrical fires or other types of fires.
Here are the Symbols showing step guide on how to use the fire extinguisher:
P – Pull the safety pin: Before you can use your fire extinguisher, you must first pull out its safety pin. This will make sure that it is ready to be used.
A – Aim low: You should always aim for fires that are at waist level or below when using your fire extinguisher. Always aim at the base of the fire.
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S – Squeeze the handle: When using your fire extinguisher, you will want to squeeze it gently and aim right at where you see flames. If you are aiming too hard or squeezing too tightly, then your fire extinguisher may not work properly.
S – Sweep from side to side: You should always sweep from side to side when trying to put out a fire with a fire extinguisher. This is one of the most important steps in putting out a small kitchen fire or any other type of room-sized fires.
2A10B & 3A10B Symbol
2A10B symbol indicates that a certain type of fire extinguisher has been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). There’s another symbol with 3A10B which means it has been tested by Factory Mutual (FM) Laboratories. Although these symbols look similar, they mean different things. If you have an UL-approved fire extinguisher, do not replace it with one that does not have a 2A10B symbol because you might end up putting your life in danger when fighting fires.
As explained above, these symbols indicate that a certain type of fire extinguisher has been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM) Laboratories. These symbols also indicate that both bodies consider your fire extinguishers suitable for fighting fires involving combustible metals, flammable liquids, electrical equipment, and paper products.
UL conducts safety inspections to make sure fire extinguishers are properly installed in your workplace or home. It also inspects them for proper maintenance and correct labeling.
Safety Precautions
Fire extinguishers also put out safety precautions to follow when using the fire extinguisher.
Conclusion
As you can see, each of these different types of extinguishers features a unique set of symbols and indicators that are used to quickly identify what type of fire they are designed to deal with. While most extinguishers can deal with a variety of fires, it is important to know what type you are dealing with in order to effectively put out the flames. For example, if you are fighting a grease fire then an ABC extinguisher would be ideal but if you are fighting an electrical fire then an ABC extinguisher could actually make things worse. So as we said before, knowing how to read your extinguisher is critical for ensuring safety when putting out any kind of fire.
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