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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

Effectively Using Your Fire Extinguisher

11/28/2017 (Permalink)

Effectively Using Your Fire Extinguisher

A fire extinguisher is a must for every home in Pottsville, PA but you may be concerned about using yours if you’re inexperienced. Luckily, whether it’s fighting a kitchen fire or stopping fire damage in its tracks, this equipment is designed for rapid deployment regardless of the user’s experience level. To familiarize yourself ahead of time, remember these four steps for using an extinguisher effectively.

1. Determine Appropriateness

Different fires, such as grease fires, require different extinguishers, so it’s important to know what yours is – and isn’t – approved for in advance.

While your items can be salvaged with professional restoration services, the same cannot be said for loved ones, so it’s best to evacuate if there’s any doubt. Using the wrong kind of equipment can potentially exacerbate the fire or create additional dangers.

2. Gain Safe Ground

If you’re confident you have the right type of extinguisher, place at least six feet between you and the nearest flames. If there are others in the house, make sure they’re conscious and instruct them to contact emergency services once they’re outside.

3. Remove Safety Pin

Every fire extinguisher uses a small pin to prevent unintentional discharge. Hook your finger inside the pin’s opening and pull it free in one fluid motion. If you’re in a commercial property, there may also be a zip tie, but these are designed to easily break and should snap with a normal level of force.

4. Squeeze and Sweep

Locate the root of the flames, often the stove top in a kitchen fire, while aiming the nozzle. Steady the extinguisher with one hand on the lower lever and the other on the hose, squeezing the handle to disperse the contents while making slow sweeping motions with the hose until the flames are smothered.

Practice and Share

Now that you’re better equipped to use your fire extinguisher, consider practicing by deploying it outside and passing on your knowledge to other members of the household. The more people in your home who can use an extinguisher effectively, the better your chances of staunching a kitchen fire before it grows into significant fire damage. Visit http://www.SERVPROpottsville.com for more information on fire damage.

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