Fire Fighting

Attempting to put the fire out yourself

In the event of a fire being located you can attempt to extinguish the fire if:

the fire is confined to a small area and is not growing
the room/area is not filled with smoke and
your back is to an exit you can use quickly

Do not fight the fire if the following conditions exist:

You have not been trained or instructed in using a fire extinguisher
You don’t know what’s burning
The fire is spreading rapidly
You don’t have the proper equipment
The fire might block your means of escape
You might inhale smoke
Your instincts tell you not to do so

If the first attempts to put out the fire do not succeed, or you have emptied one fire extinguisher trying to fight a fire, evacuate the building immediately.

Fire Fighting Equipment

Fire Extinguishers

You can review how to use a fire extinguisher here - video.

Select appropriate extinguisher for type of fire.

P - Pull pin from squeeze handle and test the extinguisher by squeezing handles briefly.

A - Aim the nozzle at base of fire.

S - Squeeze the operating handle.

S - Sweep the nozzle discharging the contents across the base of the fire

Hose Reels - not all buildings have hose reels

Hose reels are used on fires involving wood, paper and textiles only, they are not to be used on live electrical appliances or flammable liquids.
To release the hose reel, turn the valve on this will charge the hose and release the nozzle (if fitted with a nozzle release lock).
The hose can then be pulled out to the fire, the nozzle operates like a garden hose in most cases by twisting the nozzle, and the nozzle can be adjusted to give a spray pattern or a straight jet.

Fire Blanket

Fire blankets can be used for smothering a fire if you can completely cover the fire and starve the fire of its oxygen. If you can’t your fire blanket will catch on fire. Fire blankets are fire retardant, not fire resistant

Remove the fire blanket by pulling down sharply on the tabs hanging from the bottom of the package.
Protect your hands.
Place the blanket over the fire
Turn off any heat source such as a stove burner, unplugging a toaster or computer from the wall.
Leave the blanket in place at least 15 minutes.

Page updated

Report abuse