 For larger premises, such as a car dealership that has a showroom, office, workshop, store and flammable storage, you need to break this down and consider each area on its own. However, it is best not to have too many different types on the same premises if possible as this adds to confusion in a panic. So, if you have foam in the workshop, use a foam fire extinguisher as the water-based one in the office area. Should your premises have multiple risks such as a garage workshop, a powder fire extinguisher may be better as your fire may include wood, paper, paint and fuel all at the same time. In a garage workshop we would recommend powder for general use and CO2 for small welding fires but the office area would still need water-based ones as powder will make a mess. In an office, hotel or nursing home, powder would make a dust cloud that may stop people from finding exits. A commercial kitchen should have a combination of fire blankets, wet chemical extinguishers for any deep fat dryers, plus C02 for electrical fires. An office would have the same risks as most shops, salons, hotels, residential homes, shopping centers, etc. so the requirements would be a water additive extinguisher with a CO2 at each fire point. Construction sites would have multiple risks so powder and CO2 would be a good option. Don’t forget a fire extinguisher in company vehicles – every vehicle should have a 2kg powder extinguisher in the driving area, and larger vehicles carrying dangerous goods require further fire extinguisher provision. Another consideration is the temperature. So, if they are stored outside on a petrol station forecourt or building site, powder would be best as it can be used down to minus 30 degrees. Foam and water would beat antifreeze but this reduces the fire-fighting ability and, by the time an engineer visits, discharges and refills with antifreeze, will probably cost more than you paid to buy a new extinguisher!
6 Comments
3/9/2019 09:23:33
You can never really know when a fire will start, so it is best to be prepared at all times. A lot of people do not even put in the effort to at least buy the proper tools to prevent fire, which is part of the reason why there are a lot of fires. I am not saying that we should make it our top priority, but at least put it in the list. It helps to know that you have it in your house. I hope that we care more about all of this. 18/2/2021 03:19:00
I appreciate that this post shared that when we own a commercial building or business, it is best to ensure that our premise is equipped with a commercial fire extinguisher. It is important because in the event of fire emergencies, we have an extinguisher to extinguish the fire and prevent accidents. The other day my brother mentioned that he is planning to purchase a commercial building. I will definitely keep this in mind and pass it along to him to ensure he purchases the right commercial fire extinguisher. 6/12/2022 03:36:55
Sotera’s service offering in performance based design is proudly backed by Dr Paul Clancy who was involved in the introduction of performance based fire engineering to Australia. I find it interesting to know that a 2kg powder fire extinguisher should be available in commercial vehicles. I can imagine how helpful those would be to save the drivers and their passengers when incidents happen, especially when it is actually an accident. There can be many factors that can cause such situations such as overheating or a collision. 20/2/2023 07:42:42
It's great that you mentioned that industrial kitchens should have a combination of fire blankets, wet chemical extinguishers for any deep fat dryers, and CO2 for electrical fires. My mother owns a restaurant. I'll advise her to acquire the dry chemical extinguishers. Leave a Reply. |
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