Fire extinguishers are classified by fire type. The A, B, C rating system defines the kinds of burning materials each fire extinguisher is designed to fight. The number in front of the A, B, or C indicates the rating size of fire the unit can extinguish. Click to see full answer.
What do the numbers on a fire extinguisher mean?
Fire Extinguisher Ratings. Fire extinguishers are classified by fire type. The A, B, C rating system defines the kinds of burning materials each fire extinguisher is designed to fight. The number in front of the A, B, or C indicates the rating size of fire the unit can extinguish. What do the symbols on fire extinguisher indicate? Extinguishers are classified by a number and letter symbol. The …
What do fire extinguisher classes and size ratings mean?
Class A Fire Extinguisher used for combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and plastics can be extinguished with a Class A fire extinguisher. A green triangle is a geometric symbol, and wood and regular trash are shown on the pictograph. Class B Fire Extinguisher
Do you understand the symbology on your fire extinguisher?
25/02/2020 · Fire extinguishers are classified by fire type. The A, B, C rating system defines the kinds of burning materials each fire extinguisher is designed to fight. The number in front of the A, B, or C indicates the rating size of fire the unit can extinguish. Click to see full answer.
What does 4A 20B C mean on a fire extinguisher?
You might come across a fire extinguisher labeled 4A:20B:C. The numbers indicate the size rating of each extinguishing agent. Here’s how it works: The Class A size rating represents the water equivalency. Each number represents 1 ¼ gallons of water. For instance, 2A means the extinguisher is just as effective as 2 ½ gallons of water. 4A is equivalent to 5 gallons of water.
What do the symbols on fire extinguisher indicate?
Extinguishers are classified by a number and letter symbol. The number indicates the relative size of the extinguisher, and the letter indicates the type of fire it will extinguish. ... On Type B extinguishers, the number tells you the square footage of the fire the extinguisher can put out.
What is fire extinguisher rating?
Fire extinguishers carry classification ratings in accordance with the type of fires they have been designed to extinguish. The ratings are A, B, C , D and K. The ratings on fire extinguishers allows users to quickly identify the type of fire which an extinguisher will be most effective for.15-Dec-2019
What does 1 A 10 BC mean on fire extinguisher?
Classification: 1A:10B:C. Good for: The smallest fires including those in the home or vehicles. It provides the equivalent of 1.25 gallons of water against Class A fires. The number 10 indicates that the extinguisher fights Class B fires as large as 10 square feet. It is safe for Class C fires.17-Jun-2019
What are the 5 different classes of fire?
Fire is divided into five classes (A, B, C, D, and K) that are primarily based on the fuel that is burning. This classification system helps to assess hazards and determine the most effective type of extinguishing agent.03-Sept-2019
How do you read a fire extinguisher rating?
Fire Extinguisher Ratings Fire extinguishers are classified by fire type. The A, B, C rating system defines the kinds of burning materials each fire extinguisher is designed to fight. The number in front of the A, B, or C indicates the rating size of fire the unit can extinguish.
What does 4A 80B C mean?
Tall Buckeye ABC Dry Chemical Extinguisher 4A:80B:C is designed for use on Class A fires (ordinary combustibles), Class B fires (flammable liquids and gases), and Class C fires (energized electrical equipment). ... A wall bracket is included with each extinguisher.
What does 10A mean on fire extinguisher?
The ratings on ABC fire extinguishers vary, but let's say the one available to you is 10A:120B:C. This means that the extinguisher is equivalent of having 12.5 gallons of water to fight a Class A fire and could cover 120 square feet of a Class B fire.13-Nov-2019
What does 2A 10b C mean?
Make sure to aim at the base of the flame! A fire extinguisher that is rated 2A:10 BC means it has a fire fighting capacity equivalent to: 2.5 Gallons of Water and 10 Square Feet for a BC Type Fire. 1. X.
What is 2 A 10 B C?
It's UL rated 2-A:10-B:C and meets minimum 2-A:10-B:C code requirements for fighting wood, paper, fabric, flammable-liquid, and live electrical-equipment fires.
What are the fire extinguisher Colours?
Fire extinguishers are available in the following colour codes:Blue (Dry Powder Extinguishers) ... Black (Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Extinguishers) ... Cream (Foam Extinguishers) ... Red (Water Extinguishers) ... Yellow (Wet Chemical Extinguishers)
What are the 3 types of fire extinguishers?
OSHA states, "The three most common types of fire extinguishers are: air pressurized water, CO2 (carbon dioxide), and dry chemical." There also are wet chemical fire extinguishers.
What are the 5 main types of fire extinguishers?
When it comes to the types of fire extinguishers, there are five main types including wet chemical, CO2, dry powder, foam and water.
How to tell what size fire extinguisher you have?
You might come across a fire extinguisher labeled 4A:20B:C. The numbers indicate the size rating of each extinguishing agent. Here’s how it works: 1 The Class A size rating represents the water equivalency. Each number represents 1 ¼ gallons of water. For instance, 2A means the extinguisher is just as effective as 2 ½ gallons of water. 4A is equivalent to 5 gallons of water. 2 The Class B size rating indicates the square footage the extinguisher can cover. 20B means that as long as you sweep the nozzle side to side, there is enough extinguishing agent inside the canister to provide 20 square feet of coverage. 3 There is no size rating for Class C. After all, a Class C electrical fire is nothing more than a Class A or Class B fire with energized components requiring a non-conductive extinguishing medium. To effectively fight Class C fires, choose your extinguishers based on the Class A and Class B size ratings. 4 There is also no size rating for Class D fires. The effectiveness is detailed on the nameplate based on the specific combustible metal for which the extinguisher is recommended.
What class of fire extinguisher is used for combustible metal fires?
Class D puts out combustible metal fires (magnesium, titanium, potassium, sodium, etc.) Class K puts out cooking fires ignited by flammable oil and grease. Since Class A, B, and C fires are all found in conventional homes and businesses, ABC fire extinguishers are designed to put out all three types of fires.
How does Class A size work?
Here’s how it works: The Class A size rating represents the water equivalency. Each number represents 1 ¼ gallons of water. For instance, 2A means the extinguisher is just as effective as 2 ½ gallons of water. 4A is equivalent to 5 gallons of water.
Is there a class C fire extinguisher?
There is no size rating for Class C. After all, a Class C electrical fire is nothing more than a Class A or Class B fire with energi zed components requiring a non-conductive extinguishing medium. To effectively fight Class C fires, choose your extinguishers based on the Class A and Class B size ratings. There is also no size rating ...
What is a Class B extinguisher?
The Class B size rating indicates the square footage the extinguisher can cover. 20B means that as long as you sweep the nozzle side to side, there is enough extinguishing agent inside the canister to provide 20 square feet of coverage. There is no size rating for Class C.
What is the symbol for a class A fire extinguisher?
Class A – for ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics. The geometric symbol is the green triangle and the pictograph shows ordinary trash and wood on fire.
Can you use water to extinguish a class C fire?
You should never use water to extinguish a class C fire. Water is a powerful conductor, so the risk of electrical shock is substantial. The geometric symbol is a blue circle and the pictograph shows an electrical cord and outlet that have caught on fire.
What is class D in chemistry?
Class D – for fires most commonly occurring in a chemical laboratories. These involve combustible metals, like magnesium, titanium, potassium or sodium. The geometric symbol is the yellow star, or decagon. A pictograph is not commonly used for this class but you might see one that shows a metal beam and flames.
What is class K in cooking?
Class K – for fires that involve cooking oils, trans-fats, or fats in cooking appliances , typically occurring in restaurants or cafeteria kitchens. The geometric symbol is the black hexagon and the pictograph shows a frying pan in flames.
Why do fire extinguishers need to be labeled?
This is why all fire extinguishers need to be clearly labeled, so you always know you are using the right type. Attempting to put out a fire with the wrong kind of extinguisher can lead to extremely dangerous consequences.
What to do if a fire spreads?
If a fire begins to spread you should immediately get to a safe place and call the fire department . (Visited 67,316 times, 45 visits today) Post navigation.
Do you understand the symbology on a fire extinguisher?
In fact, recent polls indicate that people may have the correct fire extinguisher for the facility it’s meant to service but still don’t understand the symbology printed on the tank. Although fairly new pictograph labeling on extinguishers does help somewhat, they can still be a bit difficult to decipher.
