Don't Get Burned: Fire Extinguishers in the Kitchen and on the Jobsite

In my arms, I held my eight-month-old son. In my microwave, flames rose from an old potholder under a glass bowl of steamed carrots.

"The microwave is on fire," I shouted to my wife, who was out of the room readying our son's bath.

She quickly ran to the kitchen, which was already filling with smoke and foul smells.

Inside the microwave, the glass bowl audibly shattered.

What happened next was a blur. We worked together, unspeaking and efficient, like a SWAT team in sweatpants. I set my son down on his playmat in the living room, far away from the action in the kitchen. My wife grabbed our fire extinguisher from the pantry and passed it to me. She positioned herself to the side of the microwave door. I pulled out the fire extinguisher's locking pin. We locked eyes. She opened the microwave. I squeezed the trigger and the expellant struck the potholder and extinguishing the fire.

Looking back, this could have gone a lot worse. The fire was small and contained to the microwave. The casualties were an old potholder, a glass bowl, and some steamed carrots. Our household fire extinguisher was readily accessible and worked flawlessly.

Situations like this highlight the importance of keeping a fire extinguisher on hand, whether in a suburban kitchen or in the field working on a pipeline. In this blog post, we'll cover types of fire extinguishers, the importance of fire extinguisher inspections, and the PASS Method for extinguishing fires.

Types of Fire Extinguishers

All commercially available fire extinguishers are labeled A, B, C, D, or K to indicate the class of fire they can extinguish. Some extinguishers are capable of extinguishing more than one class of fire.

• Class A Fire Extinguishers are for burning wood, paper, trash, and other combustible solids
• Class B Fire Extinguishers are for fires that are burning flammable liquids, such as gasoline, solvents, and aerosols
• Class C Fire Extinguishers are for electrical fires started by loose connections, damaged wire insulation, or overloaded electrical components
• Class D Fire Extinguishers are for fires fueled by combustible metals like magnesium and titanium
• Class K Fire Extinguishers are for kitchen fires like those fueled by cooking oils, like olive oil, butter, or bacon grease

What type of fire extinguisher do you have in your facility? What about in your home? It's worth checking to make sure you have the right fire extinguisher for the types of fires you might encounter.

Inspection

When my microwave caught fire, I was fortunate that my fire extinguisher didn't just match the fire type but that it also worked when I needed it most. Fire extinguishers in commercial facilities must be inspected regularly to ensure they'll work when needed, too.

When was your facility's fire extinguisher last inspected? What about the fire extinguisher in your home? Fire extinguishers should have a tag with a log on the handle. Inspecting a fire extinguisher typically involves ensuring that it's in good condition and that the pin is sealed to the handle (which indicates that the extinguisher has not been used).

PASS Method

PASS is a common acronym for remembering the basic steps for using a fire extinguisher. PASS stands for:

• Pull the pin to unlock the extinguisher handle, which acts as a lever to release the expellant
• Aim the extinguisher or hose at the base of the fire
• Squeeze the extinguisher handle slowly while bracing yourself to counteract the force of the expellant
• Sweep the expellant steadily across the base of the fire until the fire is extinguished

Finally, after the fire is out, watch the area for a few minutes to be sure the fire is completely out. Smoldering embers can sometimes reignite the fire.

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