Did you know that when you opt to use the wrong kind of extinguisher on the fire you must put out, you can make the situation far worse than what it was? There are several different kinds of fire extinguishers on the market and to help you to know which to use, they all have a colour code to make it easy to distinguish the right one, when you need to extinguish a fire urgently.

“There are several different classes of fires and it is helpful to know which kind of extinguisher to use when. Yet, as most people do not deal daily with this kind of fire protection equipment, the industry simplified the system with colour coding,” says Paul Mayfair, the manager of S K Fire Protection.

He then continues to explain that a fire extinguisher with a red band around its shoulders is a water extinguisher. These work great to put out fires of wood, paper, textiles and so forth. They should never be used on burning liquids or electrical fires. You can use a blue band effectively on almost all kinds of fires. They are full of dry powder and works well on liquids, electrical fires, burning gasses and paper and wood and those kinds of fabrics. Yet, it is best not to use these in enclosed spaces as they do create quite a dust cloud which makes it hard to breathe and reduces visibility.

A foam extinguisher works well for wood, paper and textiles as well as liquids, but not on electrical equipment. These carry a cream-coloured band. Black is for Co2. Co2 extinguishers are wonderful to put out fires of flammable liquids and electrical equipment, they are not so good on wood, textile and paper and you should not use them in a confined space.

Lastly, you will find yellow bands on wet chemical extinguishers. If you have a kitchen, these are the preferred option to have as they work fantastic on cooking fires, paper, wood and textiles.

“While you might not be able to remember all of these, you can familiarize yourself with your surroundings and know what kinds of fires to expect in your vicinity. Identify the right kind of extinguisher for that specific situation and feel confident that you will know what to do when such an event occurs,” Mayfair advises. He furthermore states that it is important that everyone has training in how to effectively use extinguishers at least once in their life so that they will know what to do when they must act quickly.

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