Fire Safety in your Workplace & Home
Fire comes from a chemical reaction(combustion) between oxygen in the atmosphere and some sort of fuel (wood or petrol, for example). Of course, wood and petrol don’t spontaneously catch on fire just because they’re surrounded by oxygen. For the combustion reaction to happen, you have to heat the fuel to its ignition temperature.
The 3 elements (in red) is known as the Fire Triangle and they are essential in order for fires to exist.
By removing any of these 3 elements, the fire will stop. So fire extinguishers are designed to remove one of these elements by applying an agent that either cools the burning fuel, or removes or displaces the surrounding oxygen.The European Standard BS EN3 specifies that all Fire Extinguisher bodies are to be coloured “RED” regardless of the contents of the extinguisher. All Extinguishers now have a 5% area of the label that is colour coded which denotes its contents.
EMS & Associates offer a wide range of Fire Fighting Equipment for your safety needs. All equipment that we supply is compliant with current legal standards. Any time you detect a fire – or just the first signs of fire – you should immediately raise the alarm and make sure that the Fire Brigade are contacted. on 999 or 112. Until help arrives, a full, properly maintained fire extinguisher can help minimise damage to your business and injuries to your employees or customers.
EMS & Associates can supply the following comprehensive range of high quality, manufactured fire extinguishers:
Water Fire Extinguishers – Water extinguishers are suitable for Class A fires caused by the combustion of solid materials, mainly of organic origin, such as : wood, paper, straw or textiles.
Foam Fire Extinguishers – Foam (or AFFF as they are sometimes known) extinguishers are ideal where both Class A & B fire risks exist, particularly B fires caused by the combustion of materials that liquefy such as petrol, solvents, oils, fats, paints and tar etc.
Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishers – Carbon Dioxide (or CO2 as they are usually known) extinguishers are suitable for Class B fire risks involving flammable liquids. They are also ideal for covering the risk of fires in electrical equipment, a great deal of which is found in most modern buildings.
Powder Fire Extinguishers – Dry Powder extinguishers are recommended for mixed fire environments because they cover Class A, B and C fires including flammable liquids and gases. Dry Powder is also safe (though not recommended) for use on fires involving electrical equipment. Also available is a special Class D Dry Powder Extinguisher which is suitable for fires involving flammable metals sometimes found in laboratories.
F Class Fire Extinguishers – F Class extinguishers are specifically designed to fight fires resulting from the over heating of cooking oils and fats in deep fat fryers. This extinguishant has the capability to fight fires in these fryers of up to 75 litres in volume.
Fire Blankets – Fire blankets are made of fire resistant materials. They are particularly useful for smothering fat pan fires or for wrapping round a person whose clothing is on fire. All fire blankets are manufactured to BS EN 1869:1997 standards. These blankets are also suitable for domestic use in the home. They will be marked to show whether they should be thrown away after use or used again after cleaning in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Fire blankets should be fitted in kitchens near an exit but definitely not too close to the cooker as it may not be possible to reach it in the event of a fire.
If you would like advice on developing and managing your fire safety please feel free to contact us