Fire extinguisher

[Limsgp]

They trained me to extinguish class A,B,C,E,F fires using Dry Powder and CO2 and observe first hand each type effectiveness. Class D fires, since the type of Dry powder used is expensive, is only done in theory.

On a windy day, C02 extinguishers effectiveness will diminish while using dry powder we will need to constantly orientate ourself up-wind of the fire while discharging. This takes practice and I'm always being trained quarterly.

While I'm the assigned "fire-fighter" in my company.. I never had any formal training.. at most got a mini demo on the handling of different types of extinguisher and a short "test fire" session conducted by the safety officer.. so my experience is practically nil...... :embrass:

I only quote from my background in chemistry.. just sharing the information..

The reason why CO2 is not effective against chemical fires (e.g. Mg) is bcoz the heat produced by the oxidation of these substances is sufficient to break down CO2. And yes, Mg can burn in CO2.. IIRC..

Of coz.. practical situations maybe different from theory.. so.. thanks for sharing of the practical info

And I agree with you that the effective handling of the extinguishers is actually not as easy as it appears..

 

[denniskee]

remember, dont panick and go use water to put out oil based fire. 2 reasons :

1) oil floats on water, so it will spread

2) when the stead goes up, oil molecules stick on steam molecule surface, than why u see sudden burst of flame.


when caught in any life threatening situation, best not to panick.

i once had a worker working in a room, the machine's transfomer caught fire and smoke was filling up the room. she panick and kept knocking the window, all this time, the door was wide open, just 2 steps away from her. i had to walk in, lead her out, turn of the power supply. hero for the day. but i kept making fun of her after that incident. :devil::devil:

 

[ngck12]

Hey, nowadays the fire extinguishers are all in red colour, so you gotta read the labels. There are no more green, black, red, blue colours etc alrd.

The best to use will be the dry-powder type, but it leaves residue, and those will skin allergy may suffer from itch.
Water one is not recommended as the fire may be started due to electricity, water + electric = disaster
CO2 extinguisher is great for electrical fire or when flammable liquid is present, also it leaves no residue, recommended.

Fight fire in a PASS motion
P-Pull
A-Aim
S-Squeeze
S-Sweep
Fight the fire by using a sweeping motion, aiming at the base of the fire, no point jus spraying at the top cause fire wont be extinguished.

 

[greenieadi]

Hey, nowadays the fire extinguishers are all in red colour, so you gotta read the labels. There are no more green, black, red, blue colours etc alrd.

Are u sure? I know DIY shops sells Red color ones only. U shld read all the previous posts. Maybe I think those a disposable ones. Mine is refillable and need to go periodic maintenance even not used.

I'm using the Blue colored extinguisher, not bought from DIY shop though but from an extinguisher company.

My kitchen :

 

[ricohflex]

wah lau, u stay in a castle ah!!:sweat::sweat:

The humblest dwelling. Cannot afford even the cheapest condo.

There is only 1 castle in Singapore. The one in Changi with 24 hour security guard.
Free stay. Even if you stay for 30 years.

 

[Limsgp]

The humblest dwelling. Cannot afford even the cheapest condo.

There is only 1 castle in Singapore. The one in Changi with 24 hour security guard.
Free stay. Even if you stay for 30 years.

That one.. you need to do something to prove your worth before you're entitled to the free accommodation..

 

[ngck12]

Are u sure? I know DIY shops sells Red color ones only. U shld read all the previous posts. Maybe I think those a disposable ones. Mine is refillable and need to go periodic maintenance even not used.

I'm using the Blue colored extinguisher, not bought from DIY shop though but from an extinguisher company.

My kitchen :

What i meant was. Now the new extinguishers are all having red coloured bodies. You can call the SCDF to check they will give you the same answer.

Water will have red body and red label
CO2 will have red body and black label
Dry Powder will have red body and blue label
Foam will have red body and cream label

Since yours is refillable why would they wanna waste that body and replace with a new one for you since its still usable?

 

[Limsgp]

powder type is refillable..? that's something new....

 

[greenieadi]

I won't explain further. Part of my job scope other than run a petrochemical plant is be an auxilliary fire-fighter.

Just today did my 3rd quarter training using extinguishers (powder type), running and laying fire hoses, donning SCBA and HAZMAT suit plus the standard fire exercise.

Still seeing Blue, Black, and Yellow cylinders and they are confirmed not outdated. Maybe for home use it's labelled that way (red with blue label), my guess.

My In-house Fire Officer (ex SCDF) that trained us mentioned no change to the colouring of the extinguishers. Whatever it is, by colour coding, I wouldn't need to read the label to use the correct type in case of and emergency.

Either way, the colour code still exist and I doubt we have the luxury of time to read labels in an emergency.

 

[amateur_photographer]

this website sells good looking fire extinguisher
http://www.vertsolutions.com.sg/store/index.php?cPath=21

 

[denniskee]

anyone know where to recharge expired extinguisher?

 

[megaweb]

the kiasu one, you can get smoke mask, fire extinguisher and smoke detector. one of the vendor came to my company to explain fire safety and hard sell these items .They are very costly.

to me, to have safety at home, minimum to have a working torch at the bedroom. In case of fire break out at night and unable to handle it, rush out of the house with family members first.

 

[denniskee]

can anyone pls advice where can i get my expired extinguisher recharge? else everytime has to dispose (also if dispose, where) & buy new one.:sweat:

 

[ricohflex]

can anyone pls advice where can i get my expired extinguisher recharge? else everytime has to dispose (also if dispose, where) & buy new one.:sweat:

http://www.scdf.gov.sg/content/scdf...ent/par/download_26/file.res/FE_Workshops.pdf

 

[psitecnica]

Just to add on further, you should be aware of the class of extinguishers available. It defines the type of fires that it can be used to extinguish.

Class A:SOLIDS such as paper, wood, plastic etc
Class B: FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS such as paraffin, petrol, oil etc
Class C: FLAMMABLE GASES such as propane, butane, methane etc
Class D: METALS such as aluminium, magnesium, titanium etc
Class E: Fires involving ELECTRICAL APPARATUS
Class F: Cooking OIL & FAT etc.

Fire extinguishers are also Colour Coded for type of fires and medium used:

Water - Red
Foam - Cream
Dry Powder - Blue
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Black
Halon - Green (now 'illegal' except for a few exceptions such as the Police, Armed Services and Aircraft).

For home use, normally the Blue coloured extinguishers can be use for type A, B, C, E, F fires. It contains a dry powder. Do note that it usually lasts between 1-2 mins of continous discharge, depending on volume of cylinder. NOT much really, importantly is the technique applied.

The "sweeping" technique of spraying over the fire is used to smother the fire. This basically done by sweeping and lopping the powder over the fire. Don't shoot directly on the fire as this will splash and spread the fire, thus worsening the condition. A level head is also required.

C02 extinguishers (Black coloured cylinders) might leave no mess as Limsgp mentioned but that is not the best advice. Messing up your home might be the last thing in your mind when a fire breakout. Anyway C02 fires is ONLY effective in an enclosed room where the concentration of the C02 can stunt the fire by depriving it of O2. Usually ONLY used for type E fires - Electrical fires.

And yes fire needs Oxygen+Fuel+Ignition source to occur. Eliminate anyone of those and the fire will die.

Lucky for me, I work in the Petrochem industry and part of my job scope is as a trained Auxilliary Fire Fighter to fight refinery scale fires . I can apply at home if need be.

Importantly if the fire can't be control, evacuate - equiptment and money can be replaced, lives can't.

Hi,

Maybe its best if we inform them on the classes of fire according to NFPA as most extinguishers are labelled according to NFPA. I believe you are using a different fire code.

Class A: Combustible materials
Class B: Flammable liquids & gases
Class C: Electrical Fire
Class D: Metal Fire
Class K: Cooking Oil & Fat, etc.

Types of extinguishers:

Water (Red cylinder)
CO2 (Black cylinder or red cylinder with black label)
Foam (Pale cream cylinder or red cylinder with pale cream label)
DCP (French blue cylinder or red cylinder with blue label)
Halon/Halotronix (Green cylinder or red cylinder with green label)

To Combat:

Water - Class A
DCP - Class A, B & C
Foam - Class A & B
Halon - Class A, B & C

Whatever it is if your electrical appliances catch fire, always de-energise the system first.

C02 leaves no mess; TRUE. However, it results in cold-shocking.
DCP effective; TRUE. However, it results in messy aftermath.

Halon; EFFECTIVE & leaves no mess. However, discharging a Halon 1211 or 1301 reduces the ozone layer. Therefore productions of Halon has seized. However, there are substitutes to Halon such as the FM-200 or halatronix which both are CFC-free.

Usually for home, I would recommend a DCP for A, B, C type fire. Take note that DCP has 3 types: for special metal fires/ABC fires/BC fires.
** THEREFORE IT IS IMPORTANT TO READ THE LABELS FIRST. COLOR CODE IS ONE ONE THING, LABEL ANOTHER.

A 9 kg extinguisher will take approx 13 seconds to be emptied.

And don't put ur extinguishers in the car boot. Ive turned out for cases whereby the extinguishers exploded in the boot due to the heat generated.

Lastly, yes all extinguishers are refillable. And for stored pressure, the propelling agent is Nitrogen except for CO2 extinguishers which propel by itself.

I hope this post has been very informative. I dont usually post, but when it comes to this, I just have to play a part in imparting knowledge. I was in the SCDF for 5 years as a fire officer before resigning to join the private brigade as a industrial firefighter.

 

[code]

Thanks guys for the information. I'm sure everyone here benefits from the discussions so far.

 

[VERT X]

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The fire extinguishers are available at:

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10 Anson Road
#01-68 International Plaza
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Tel: 6226 1370

Automobile Association of Singapore (Head Office)
336 River Valley Road
#03-00 AA Centre
Singapore 238366
Tel: 6333 8811

AA Shop
5 Stadium Walk #02-11
Leisure Park Kallang
Singapore 397693
Tel: 6333 8811

Juzz For Cars
Blk 176 Sin Ming Drive
#03-13/15/16 Sin Ming Autocare
Singapore 575721
Tel: 6736 0303

STAMFORD TYRES (Jurong Retail Centre)
19 Lok Yang Way
Jurong Singapore 628635
Tel: 6262 3355