Equipment

Class A Fire Extinguisher - also called Type A Fire Extinguishers

A Class A fire extinguisher consists of a hand  held cylindrical pressure vessel and an agent that can be used to extinguish an ordinary fire.  For a Class A extinguisher, that agent is water, and a Class A Extinguisher is effective against  ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics.

All fire extinguishers fight fire by utilizing an agent to act upon the chemistry of the fire by removing one or more of the three elements necessary to maintain fire—commonly referred to as the fire triangle. The three sides of the fire triangle are fuel, heat, and oxygen. The agent acts to remove the heat by cooling the fuel or to produce a barrier between the fuel and the oxygen supply in the surrounding air. Once the fire triangle is broken, the fire goes out.  In the case of a Class A extinguisher, the agent cools the fuel and breaks the triangle.

The numerical rating on Class A extinguishers indicates the amount of water it holds and the amount of fire it can extinguish.  Information on the numerical rating can be found on the label on the device

There are many types of fires, and there is no single type of fire extinguisher that can suppress all types of fires.  While  water has proven effective in extinguishers used against wood, paper and plastic fires (Class A), a Type A fire extinguisher should never be used on an electrical fire as it is an electrical conductor.  For this reason, it is not safe as an agent to fight electrical fires where live circuits are present (Class C). In addition, Class A extinguishers should also not to be used to fight flammable liquid fires (Class B), especially in tanks or vessels. In this instance, water can cause an explosion due to flammable liquids floating on the water and continuing to burn. In addition, a powerful stream of water can splatter the burning liquid to other combustibles.Furthermore, Class A extinguishers should not be used to fight metal fires (Class D) where flaming metals such as magnesium and titanium.

In Class A or water fire extinguishers, the water can freeze inside the extinguisher at lower temperatures.  If you plan on keeping your Type A fire extinguisher in areas subject to below freezing temperatures, anti-freeze water extinguisher are available, which uses a non-flamable anti-freeze to prevent the liquid in the extinguisher from freezing. 

Type A fire extinguishers are produced by most major fire extinguisher manufacturers, including Amerex, Ansul, Badger, Buckeye and Kidde.

All Class A fire extinguishers must be monitored an maintained according to local, state and federal codes.  Electronic monitoring of extinguishers, like that provided by the en-Gauge electronic monitoring system, is available for all Class A fire extinguishers

A third major concern that businesses must be aware of is empty or depressurized extinguishers.  This is especially concerning, because the extinguisher is available and accessible, but when the user tries to fight the fire, the fire extinguisher does not function properly.  A non-pressurized fire extinguisher is a code violation and an example of the type of concern the 30-day fire extinguisher inspection is meant to address.  Unfortunately, it is a concern that is all to common as the 30-day fire extinguisher inspection leaves large windows of vulnerability (if they are performed at all).

As with missing and blocked fire extinguishers, it is easy to find depressurized (either through previous discharge or a slow leak) fire extinguishers in buildings.  Here are some examples of depressurized or empty fire extinguishers I"ve found in the last few months:

Depressurized or Empty Fire Extinguishers

Sorry about the focus on this one, I was just getting used to my new iPhone

Empty or depressurized fire extinguishers are a serious life safety risk.  They are meant to be identified and addressed during the monthy, 30-day fire extinguisher inspections. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of these inspections are actually performed and that puts lives at risk.  The 30 day window between inspections also is a substantial concern.  A much more effective method for complying with NFPA 10 is electronic monitoring of extinguishers which keeps track of the pressure in your extinguishers 24 X 7 X 365. 

There are many different types of fire extinguishers and fire extinguisher manufactures.  The most important thing to understand about fire extinguisher types is that not all fire extinguishers can fight all types of fires. 

Portable fire extinguishers are classified to indicate their ability to handle specific classes and sizes of fires. Labels on extinguishers indicate the class and relative size of fire that they can be expected to handle.

Class A extinguishers are used for fires involving ordinary combustibles, such as wood, cloth, and paper. Class B extinguishers are used on fires involving liquids, greases, and gases. Class C extinguishers are used on fires involving energized electrical equipment. Class D extinguishers are used on fires involving metals such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, and potassium.

Electronic monitoring of fire extinguisher can be installed on all types of fire extinguishers.  For more on electronic monitoring of fire extinguishers please click here.

The O2Alert System continuously monitors the level of oxygen in a portable tank, eliminating the surprise and inconvenience of an empty cylinder. The O2Alert System solves the problem of difficult to read or hidden oxygen gauges and reduces the chance of unexpected and often dangerous low-oxygen situations.

Local alerts include easy-to-read blinking lights, voice alerts and audible chimes.

Remote alerts can be passed to any device that can be connected to the Internet.

The O2Alert System is brought to you by a partnership between The Respiratory Group and MIJA Industries.

MedTrade Link

en-Gauge sends its sincerest congratulations to all of the winners and nominees of the 2010 MITX Technology Awards. It's a great honor for en-Gauge to be a member of the MA and New England Technology Community. We wish everyone much continued success.