The value of portable fire extinguishers for your business | Part One – Legal requirements and suitability

Hand-held fire extinguishers, and people who have been trained in their use, are often the first line of defence against a possible fire safety disaster and their importance cannot be overstated. Fire prevention and fire safety can involve many elements of fire prevention equipment, but this simple and inexpensive form of protection has great value.

Portable fire extinguishers are a valuable and essential part of any building's fire safety strategy.  They have significant benefits to offer during the early stages of a fire when their portability and availability can enable an early, prompt response to an incident.  However, their effectiveness can be reduced if users are not trained in the correct selection and proper use of the equipment and in some cases, incorrect use of a fire extinguisher can cause the fire to spread and can endanger life.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, building owners and occupiers of premises to which people have access are obliged to provide suitable fire fighting equipment and to ensure that each appliance is properly maintained, immediately obvious and readily accessible in the event of fire.

Part one of this two-part series will look at the legal requirements for businesses in relation to fire extinguishers and the basics of choosing the right extinguisher for each instance of fire. 

Legal Requirements

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that all premises should be provided with suitable fire fighting equipment, for use by persons occupying the building.  As part of staff instruction and training in fire safety precautions, each member of staff should receive instruction on the location and use of fire fighting equipment.

In addition to the above requirement, building managers may also have contractual obligations to their insurers with regard to the provision of first aid fire fighting equipment.

In January 1997, a new European standard for portable fire extinguishers came into effect.  The standard - BS EN 3 “Portable fire extinguishers” 1996 - details the requirements for construction and testing of portable fire extinguishers manufactured subsequent to the 1st January 1997.

At the time the most controversial and talked about aspect of the new standard was the new colour coding requirements. The British Standards Institute (BSI) published a new standard BS 7863 “Recommendations for colour coding to indicate the extinguishing media contained in portable fire extinguishers”, which provides guidance on the use of appropriate colours which are consistent with the requirements of BS EN 3. The standard applies only to new extinguishers being manufactured. 

The standard states that for all portable fire extinguishers, the colour of the body shall be red.  The extinguishing media contained within the extinguisher will be indicated by a zone of colour of area up to 5% of the external area of the body.  The zone of colour will take the form of a band around the extinguisher or a label on the front of the extinguisher.  Manufacturers using the label system will indicate within the label, in writing, the extinguishing agent contained within the extinguisher.

BS 7863: 1996 outlines the colour coding scheme for the band or label to be used for identifying the extinguishing media as follows;

Water Red

Foam Pale cream

Powder (all types) Blue

Carbon dioxide Black

Vaporising liquid Green

At this point, however, it may be prudent to note that extinguishers manufactured prior to January 1997, remain acceptable until they are no longer serviceable. These extinguishers have bodies painted entirely in a single colour, which denotes the type of extinguisher.

Suitability of Extinguishers

It is essential that the correct type of extinguisher be used for different types of fires.  Fires are classified in accordance with BS EN 2, as follows;

Class A Fires involving ordinary combustibles, such as wood, paper cloth, plastic, etc.

Class B Fire involving liquids and liquefiable solids

Class C Fires involving gases

Class D Fires involving metals

Class F Fire involving cooking oils

The Class A fire is usually the most likely type of fire to occur in most premises.  Water, foams (such as FP, AFFF or FFFP), or multipurpose powders are considered to be the most effective extinguishing media for these types of fires.  The most appropriate type of extinguisher for fires involving flammable liquids, Class B, is a foam, powder or carbon dioxide extinguisher.

With Class C fires, the only effective action that can be taken is to block the fuel supply to the fire, by shutting gas valves or plugging the leak.  With this type of fire, there is a danger of an explosion, if a fire involving escaping gas is extinguished before the supply is turned off.

With Class D fires, none of the common fire extinguishers is effective in extinguishing metal fires, such as aluminium, magnesium or potassium.  Such fires should only be tackled by specially-trained personnel.

With Class F fires, this type of extinguisher is most suitable for commercial catering establishments with deep fat fryers.

Warning - It is most important that extinguishers using plain water should not be used on oil or fat fires, as this can spread the fire.

Fire Blankets

Fire blankets should be located in the vicinity of the fire hazard where they are most likely to be used, but in a position that can be safety accessed in the event of a fire. They are classified as either light duty or heavy duty. Light duty fire blankets are suitable for dealing with small fires in containers of cooking fats and fire involving clothing. Heavy duty fire blankets are for industrial use where there is a need for the blankets to resist penetration by molten materials.

Part two of the two-part series on fire extinguishers will look at the location of fire extinguishers and how to achieve appropriate staff training.

If you have any queries about fire extinguishers, fire safety or fire risk assessment online, please contact Peter Gyere on 020 8668 8663.