SERVPRO of East Nashville, Madison, Goodlettsville : What to use on Specific Fires

2/11/2021 (Permalink)

What to use on specific fires

East Nashville (https://www.SERVPROeastnashvillemadisongoodlettsville.com/)

When a fire is tearing through your property, you have to think quickly to salvage your home and belongings and keep yourself safe. Knowing what type of fire you have before you and understanding what type of fire extinguisher needs to be used is of critical importance. Read on to get the facts you need to potentially save your home from severe fire damage and save your life as well.

Classes of Fires

There are five classes of fires (A, B, C, D, and K):

Class A: These fires are the easiest to put out of the five classes. They involve solid materials like wood, paper, plastic, or clothing.
Class B: Flammable liquids such as alcohol, ether, oil, gasoline and grease. The best way to extinguish these is by smothering them.
Class C: Electrical equipment, appliances and wiring in which the use or a nonconductive extinguishing agent prevents injury from electrical shock. Never use water on a Class C fire.
Class D: Certain flammable metallic substances such as sodium and potassium. These fires are rare, but can happen when a metal ignites.

Class K: These are kitchen-based fires that are caused by the combustion of substances such as the animal and vegetable fats. Although Class K fires are often overlooked, they still account for the majority of fires that ravage our commercial and residential properties.

Using the Right Type of Fire Extinguishers

There are 5 different types of fire extinguishers that you can choose from including Water, Foam, Dry Powder, CO2 and Wet Chemical. Make sure to use the right type of fire extinguisher for the class of fire as detailed below though:

Water: To be used on Class A fires only.

Foam: To be used on Class A and B fires only.

Dry Powder: Are effective at putting out all types of fires except Class K (cooking fires).

CO2: To be used on Class B and C fires only.

Wet Chemical: To be used on Class A and K fires only.

Who to Call When the Smoke Settles

After you’ve successfully put out your fire, it’s time to take inventory of everything in your home to determine what has been damaged. Once you’ve outlined all fire damaged spots in your home, it’s best to call the experienced team at SERVPRO East Nashville at (615) 868-5324 to take a closer look at everything!