Fire Extinguisher Classifications and Information

There 6 different type of Extinguisher Classification, 5 x Fire and 1 x Electrical.

Fires have been classified into six groups A, B, C, D, E and F

• Class A fires – are fires involving organic solids – Paper, Wood, etc
• Class B fires – are fires involving flammable Liquids – Petrol, Oil, Paints.
• Class C fires – are fires involving flammable Gasses
• Class D fires – are fires involving Metals
• Class E Fires – are fires involving Electrical Apparatus
• Class F Fires – are fires involving Cooking Oil & Fat

Colour Coding

All Fire Extinguishers are colour coded so you can see what type of extinguisher it is and what it contains.

• Water – Red
• Foam – Cream
• Dry Powder – Blue
• Carbon Dioxide – Black
• Halon – Green (Illegal as of December 03)

Fire Extinguisher Locations

Fire extinguishers should be stored:

• in accessible spots
• away from heat
• in places in which they are likely to be needed, but where you will still be able to get to them (but out of reach of children) should a fire start, with at least one at every level of the house. Several good choices include:
  • kitchen
  • sleeping area
  • basement
  • at the head of the stairs in a multi-story structure
  • in the garage
  • in the laundry room