Which fire extinguisher should you use?

Whenever a fire occurs, people always reach for the nearest firefighter, however, at times they can make the situation worse.

This is because there are few fire extinguishers for some fires and if you use the wrong extinguisher, you will be fueling the fire instead of putting it out.

In some cases, you should not use a fire extinguisher at all. In fact, you should be using a blanket over a fire. You may be reading this and thinking that fire will actually make it worse. If you think so then you have come to the right place.

Read on to learn about more fire extinguishers and when they should be used.

Fire extinguishers come in a variety of colors. There was a time when entire extinguishers were made in different colors. However, now all sprinklers are red with different colored stickers on them. Well, there are new ones anyway. You can choose the fire extinguishers in UK through https://www.tmservicesltd.co.uk/services/fire-extinguishers/.

There are different colors:

  • Red
  • yellow (two)
  • blue (two)
  • Black

The different colors stand for the different materials of the sprinkler. If you have an extinguisher that has a red sticker on it, the extinguisher contains water. With a yellow sticker, it contains foam or a wet chemical, a black one contains CO2 and finally, a blue sticker contains dry powder or M28/L2.

Foam / Wet Chemicals

If you have a yellow-labeled fire extinguisher, you will need to check the material label before using it on a fire. This is because the yellow label can stand for two different things.

However, the second yellow label will stand for the wet chemical and can be quenched by the addition of cooking oils and fats, similar to water. If it is used on flammable materials, the fire will be even worse. So, make sure you check with a yellow canister and put out the fire before trying it.