The “ABC” of ABC fire extinguishers indicates the classes of fires that the extinguisher will be able to diffuse:

• Class A – fires from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, etc.
• Class B – fires from flammable liquids like gasoline
• Class C – electrical fires from wiring and appliances

ABC multi-purpose fire extinguishers use a specially fluidized monoammonium phosphate dry chemical to fight against the most common fires that occur in homes and offices. SABS recommends fire extinguishers to quickly control smaller fires or contain fires until your local fire department arrives.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FIRE EXTINGUISHER FOR YOUR PURPOSES

Selecting the best fire extinguishers for a given home or office can be challenging if you’ve never bought one before. Fortunately, it’s not all that complicated once you walk through a few basic points.

Understand the classes of fire extinguisher

The first point of confusion for most first-time purchasers of fire extinguishers is the class system used to describe different extinguishers. A fire extinguisher is usually described with a series of letters explaining what classes it covers. The classes, A through F, describe what sorts of fires the extinguisher can handle.

• Class A: Fire from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, and other flammable but not particularly volatile materials
• Class B: Fire from more volatile liquids such as gasoline, grease, paints, oil, or the like.
• Class C: Fire from electrical equipment, such as home appliances, power tools, entertainment systems, or faulty wiring.
• Class D: Fire from flammable metals, common in industrial settings but rare in homes or offices.
• Class K: Fires from the specific oils and fats used in cooking applications, overlapping with Class C but specialized for commercial cooking environments such as restaurants.

For a general-purpose extinguisher you might use in a home, office, school, or similar environment, most experts recommend ABC multi-purpose extinguishers, which can handle any fire likely in those environments. These are also the most common form of fire extinguisher.

If you’re still not sure what the best fire extinguishers for your purpose would be, contact Bizzy Fire Control today and we’ll be happy to help you. Reach us at 011 024 3598 or 013 752 2199 or 021 023 0409 or contact us online! 

For more information about the types of fire extinguishers you need in your building or to purchase ABC dry chemical fire extinguishers in Gauteng, Nelspruit, in South Africa and SADC region call Bizzy Fire Control today! Our SAQCC experienced fire protection technicians can ensure that your office space is up to not only requirements for fire extinguishers, but all standards for fire protection and suppression systems.