Among the most important types of fire safety equipment, fire extinguishers are one of the most important. While they are not the end all be all of fire safety equipment, you must understand the types of Australian fire extinguishers and the type of fire that they should be used for. As a business owner seeking to remain compliance for your commercial or industrial property, choose the appropriate fire extinguisher to keep your employees or tenants safe.

There are six types of fire extinguishers and each serves a unique purpose. Water extinguishers, foam extinguishers, CO2 dioxide, and both dry powder and dry powder high performance. The sixth type of fire extinguisher is the wet chemical fire extinguisher, and there is no single extinguisher that works on all six classes of fire. Water and foam extinguishers get rid of the heat element, while CO2 extinguishers remove oxygen, and can be used to remove heat on a cold discharge. Understanding the types of fires makes finding the right extinguisher for any situation that much easier.

Class A fires are caused by combustible materials, such as paper, cloth, and wood. These fires can be extinguished with water, foam, dry powder, and wet chemical extinguishers. Class B fires are caused by flammable liquids, and extinguished with foam, dry powder, and wet chemical. Dry powder extinguishers are the only type to take out a class C fire, or one caused by flammable gas. The same is said for class D fires, which are caused by metals such as lithium and potassium. Electrical fires need a dry powder or C02 fire extinguisher to be taken out.

A class F fire is one caused by deep fat fryers. The singular fire extinguisher to take out this fire is the wet chemical extinguishers. Wet chemical is used for extremely hgh temperatures. Because types of fire extinguishers and fires differ, your fire safety plan must take note of this information. If you need a range of fire extinguishers on your property, or in various areas around the workplace, make sure that the appropriate labels and resources are available for employees.