How to Get the Right Extinguishers for Your Home Fire Safety

The importance of keeping fire fighting devices has always been emphasized for home fire safety as these equipments are your defense against any fire that could wreak havoc in your own home. The right type could help save the day so to speak and using the wrong one can only worsen the situation. It is therefore imperative that you get to use the right type of extinguishing agent to help control and contain the fire that may start in your home.

Understanding fire
As in any battle, you need to know the enemy and the same goes with fire. Knowing how a fire works and the possible causes can help you determine the best way to fight a fire. There are three elements that need to be present in order for fire to start – fuel, heat, and oxygen. Taking one from of the equation would help you stop the fire. The extinguisher works in a way that it takes out one element by smothering the burning material with an extinguishing agent effectively eliminating oxygen from it and gradually cooling the material which eventually stops the fire.

Knowing the reason
The problem lies on what kind of extinguishing agent to use. This is resolved by knowing the cause of the fire as well as the kind of material burning. Is it electrical or is it caused by oil spillage while cooking? Was the fire caused by an open flame that ignited the curtains and bed linens? These are typical household fires and you need to make sure of the cause before you can begin to fight it because if you are not sure of the origin of the fire then you might just end up in the losing end. Always remember that for home fire safety, you cannot just grab any kind of fire fighting device to put the fire out, you need the right one. You cannot use water for electrical fires as well as fires involving cooking oil. You only would make it worse and could end up endangering yourself.

Classes and types
Extinguishers have different types of extinguishing agent and they are suitable for different classes of fires. You would need to use water for Class A fires meaning it involve combustible solids like linens, newspapers, decorations, and wood. Kitchen fires that involved grease and other flammable liquids and considered as Class B fires can be put out with the use of extinguishing agents like foam, dry powder, and CO2. Dry powder is the only extinguishing agent suitable for use on Class C fires which are electrical fires. Class D involves combustible metals which are not typically found in households.

The right match equals fire safety
Getting the right type of extinguishing agent to fight the kind of fire that has started in your home is important to effectively and successfully put the fire out. There is not one extinguishing agent that could effectively fight all the most common of household fires. It is best to get a combination of fire fighting equipments to provide for home fire safety. You can use a water base device and a dry powder combination plus a fire blanket or a foam and dry powder combination of fire extinguishers. It is also best to ask the experts so that you have the right equipment to keep your home and family safe.