Fire Extinguishers
As part of a comprehensive fire safety plan, fire extinguishers play an important part in reducing property damage caused by Fire.
Capturing and tackling a small fire with a fire extinguisher may make the difference between a small incident and a full scale disaster. Extinguishers are essential for the safety of your staff and visitors. They can also help the preservation of property and ensure business continuity by not letting a small fire develop in to a major one.
Our wide range of high quality extinguishers are more than capable of helping you to protect your premises and your staff from the dangers of fire and ensure that you comply with the Fire Reform Order. A fully functioning fire extinguisher can prevent minor incidents, such as waste bin fires, becoming major infernos.
All our extinguishers meet all stringent requirements and are:
- Stamped with CE Mark
- Installed to BS 5306-8: 2003
- Commissioned and Maintained to BS 5306-3: 2009
Fire extinguishers fact
According to a UK survey conducted by the Fire Extinguisher Trades Association (FETA) and the Independent Fire Engineering and Distributors Association (IFEDA), out of 2,173 fire safety incidents recorded, over 80% were brought under control by the sustained application of fire extinguishers. Portable fire extinguishers are also believed to have prevented over 1,629 injuries.
The survey also estimates that the UK economy has saved over £500 million in property damage (based upon values of total fire claims for commercial premises in 1999).
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Fire Extinguishers : Suitable for fires involving flammable liquids or electrical apparatus.
Foam (AFFF) Fire Extinguishers : Suitable for most fires involving flammable liquids, apart from cooking oil fires.
Dry Powder Fire Extinguishers : Suitable for most fires involving flammable liquids or electrical apparatus.
Water Fire Extinguishers : Suitable for most fires except those involving flammable liquids or live electrical apparatus.
| Class of Fire |
Image |
Type of Fire |
Fire Extinguisher |
| A |
 |
Combustible solids
such as paper, wood, plastic |
Water, foam, dry powder, wet chemical |
| B |
 |
Flammable liquids
such as paraffin, petrol, oil |
Dry powder, foam, CO2 |
| C |
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Flammable gases
such as propane, butane, methane |
Dry powder, CO2 |
| D |
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Flammable metals
such as aluminium, magnesium, titanium |
Specially formulated dry powder |
| E |
 |
Electrical hazards |
CO2, dry powder |
| F |
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Cooking oil and fat |
Wet chemical |
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Type
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How it works / Danger of use
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Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
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Black
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Best for:
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Live electrical equipment when it is not possible to isolate the electric supply and flammable liquids such as grease, fats, oil paint, petrol etc. but not on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
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Danger:
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Warning: The extinguisher sounds a loud noise when started.
Do not use on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
This type of extinguisher does not cool the fire very well and you need to watch that the fire does not start up again.
Fumes from CO2 extinguishers can be harmful if used in confined spaces: ventilate the area as soon as the fire has been controlled.
Do not hold the horn whilst in use as it becomes very cold.
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How to use:
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The discharge horn should be directed at the base of the flames and the jet kept moving across the area of the fire.
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How it works:
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Carbon dioxide extinguisher works on classes B and C and works by suffocating the fire. Carbon dioxide will not burn and displaces air.
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Dry Powder - Multi-purpose
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Blue
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Best for:
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Can be used on fires involving organic solids, liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol, etcbut not on chip or fat pan fires.
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Danger:
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Important: never mix powders - only extinguishers containing the same type of powder should be used at the same time.
Safe on live electrical equipment, although does not penetrate the spaces in equipment easily and the fire may re-ignite.
This type of extinguisher does not cool the fire very well and care should be taken that the fire does not flare up again.
Smouldering material in deep seated fires such as upholstery or bedding can cause the fire to start up again.
Do not use on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
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How to use:
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Point the jet or discharge horn at the base of the flames and, with a rapid sweeping motion, drive the fire towards the far edge until all the flames are out.
If the extinguisher has a shut-off control wait until the air clears and if you can still see the flames, attack the fire again.
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How it works:
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Similarly to almost all extinguishing agents the powders acts as a thermal ballast making the flames too cool for the chemical reactions to continue.
Some powders also provide a minor chemical inhibition, although this effect is relatively weak. These powders thus provide rapid knockdown of flame fronts, but may not keep the fire suppressed.
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Dry Powder - Standard
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Blue
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Best for:
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Liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol etc but not on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
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Danger:
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Important: never mix powders - only extinguishers containing the same type of powder should be used at the same time.
Safe on live electrical equipment, although does not penetrate the spaces in equipment easily and the fire may re-ignite.
This type of extinguisher does not cool the fire very well and care should be taken that the fire does not re-ignite.
Do not use on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
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How to use:
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Point the jet or discharge horn at the base of the flames and, with a rapid sweeping motion, drive the fire towards the far edge until all the flames are out.
If the extinguisher has a shut-off control wait until the air clears and if you can still see the flames, attack the fire again.
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How it works:
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Similarly to almost all extinguishing agents the powders acts as a thermal ballast making the flames too cool for the chemical reactions to continue.
Some powders also provide a minor chemical inhibition, although this effect is relatively weak. These powders thus provide rapid knockdown of flame fronts, but may not keep the fire suppressed.
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Foam - AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam)
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Cream
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Best for:
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Fires involving solids. Liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol, etc but not on domestic chip or fat pan fires. Can be used on class A fires but not recommended.
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Danger:
|
Do not use on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
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How to use:
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For fires involving solids, point the jet at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire. Ensure that all areas of the fire are out.
For fire involving liquids, do not aim the jet straight into the liquid. Where the liquid on fire is in a container, point the jet at the inside edge of the container or on a nearby surface above the burning liquid. Allow the foam to build up and flow across the liquid.
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How it works:
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They are mainly water based, with a foaming agent so that the foam can float on top of the burning liquid and break the interaction between the flames and the fuel surface.
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Foam
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Cream
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Best for:
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Fires involving solids. Liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol, etc but not on domestic chip or fat pan fires.
Can be used on class A fires but not recommended.
Less effective than AFFF foam
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Danger:
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Check manufacturer's instructions for suitability of use on other fires involving liquids.
These extinguishers are generally not recommended for home use.
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How to use:
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Do not aim jet straight into the liquid.
Where the liquid on fire is in a container, point the jet at the inside edge of the container or on a nearby surface above the burning liquid.
Allow the foam to build up and flow across the liquid.
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How it works:
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These are mainly water based, with a foaming agent so that the foam can float on top of the burning liquid and break the interaction between the flames and the fuel surface.
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Water
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Red
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Best for:
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Fires involving organic solid materials such as wood, cloth, paper, plastics, Coal etc.
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Danger:
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Do not use on burning fat or oil or on electrical appliances.
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How to use:
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Point the jet at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire. Ensure that all areas of the fire are out.
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How it works:
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Water has a great effect on cooling the fuel surfaces and thereby reducing the pyrolysis rate of the fuel.
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Water Spray
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Red
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Best for:
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Fires involving organic solid materials such as wood, cloth, paper, plastics, Coal etc.
Size for size, it offers up to 300% more fire fighting capability than traditional jet type water fire extinguishers.
Available in 3 and 6 litres.
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Danger:
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Do not use on burning fat or oil or on electrical appliances.
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How to use:
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Point the jet at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire. Ensure that all areas of the fire are out.
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How it works:
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Water has a great effect on cooling the fuel surfaces and thereby reducing the pyrolysis rate of the fuel.
Instead of a jet nozzle a spray nozzle is used, with a higher pressure, which creates a fine spray. This allows for a given quantity of water to have a considerable increase in the surface area presented to the fire. This makes extinguishing more efficient by more rapid extraction of heat, formation of steam etc.
They can also contain surfactants which help the water penetrate deep into the burning material which increase the effectiveness of the extinguisher.
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Wet chemical
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Yellow
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Best for:
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The specialist wet chemical extinguishers are ideal for Class F fires, involving cooking oils and fats, such as lard, olive oil, sunflower oil, maize oil and butter.
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Danger:
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Check manufacturer's instructions for suitability of use.
These extinguishers are not recommended for class B fires and home use.
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How to use:
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Apply the wet chemical using the extended applicator in slow circular movements, which give a gentle, yet highly effective application.
Apply the fine spray onto the burning fat until the surface of the burning cooking oil changes into a soapy like substance, this then prevents re-ignition. The gentle application helps prevent hot oil splashing onto the user.
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How it works:
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Most class F extinguishers contain a solution of potassium acetate, sometimes with some potassium citrate or potassium bicarbonate.
The extinguishers spray the agent out as a fine mist. The mist acts to cool the flame front, while the potassium salts saponify the surface of the burning cooking oil, producing a layer of foam over the surface. This solution thus provides a similar blanketing effect to a foam extinguisher, but with a greater cooling effect.
The saponification only works on animal fats and vegetable oils, so class F extinguishers cannot be used for class B fires. The misting also helps to prevent splashing the blazing oil.
Tests have established that a 6 litre extinguisher is capable of extinguishing a fire in a 75 litre capacity deep fat fryer.
The extinguisher is easy to use producing a gentle but highly effective spray.
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Fire losses in the UK are currently estimated at £7 billion per annum, therefore it is common sense that your current investment in fire extinguishers provides a reliable way of fighting a small fire before it turns into an inferno, doing untold damage. To ensure that your fire extinguishers are in optimum condition, a support and service package from Alert Fire & Security is not just critical but essential.
Alert Fire & Security offer the area’s best and most comprehensive support & service locally for all your portable extinguishers. We know that no customer is the same, so our flexible service packages range from 1 to 5 years with varying product cover including fixed fee cover that provides comprehensive cover for replacement spares.
So whether you require a new service package or you already have a service package with another company, then call our team at Alert to see how we can start saving you money.
It is imperative that you carry out regular visual safety inspections of your fire safety equipment. You should ensure that extinguishers are unobstructed and clearly visible. You, or your appointed fire warden,should also check that the extinguisher's tamper-proof seal is in place and the internal pressure is at an acceptable level.
Annual fire extinguisher maintenance is also a legal requirementunder Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order.
Included in the ALERT fire extinguisher service and maintenance contract:
- Engineers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Routine Service Inspections (in accordance with British Standards)
- Engineer call out charges (except when extinguisher has been damaged by users or call out is due to malicious use of fire extinguisher)
- 48 hour response to all emergency call outs
- Free replacement spare parts as a result of normal wear and tear
- Free refills as a result of the extinguisher's use on a fire.
Annual Silver Package for Fire Extinguishers
A service can be carried out on any brand of fire extinguisher. The service is carried out in accordance with BS:5306, Part 3.
Service will include internal and external inspection of extinguishers. The Service covers general servicing of appliances, greasing and making free all working parts, triggering mechanisms and checking there is no corrosion.
The extinguisher will have a self- adhesive label affixed showing the date of inspection and the work carried out. A certificate of inspection will be provided, which gives details of the number and type of extinguishers on site, detailing the parts used in carrying out the service.
Annual Gold Package for Fire Extinguishers.
As our Silver package but includes the following benefits for Peace of Mind:
- Free replacement spare parts as a result of normal wear and tear
- Free refills as a result of the extinguisher's use on a fire
The only exceptions will be the refilling and repairing of misused and empty extinguishers and the cost of new extinguishers and refurbishing of equipment which will be charged at current list prices. In addition we will replace CO2 extinguishers which need hydraulic testing with factory filled service exchange units at a separate charge.
A call out charge will be made if you call us out between scheduled visits.
