Fire extinguisher Facts for Kids

A stored-pressure fire extinguisher

A Fire extinguisher is a device which can be used to control a fire. Fire extinguishers can help remove the fire, and may stop it from burning. Depending on the size, some fire extinguishers can be carried around and operated by hand. There are different kinds of fire extinguishers. Different kinds of fire can be controlled by different substances. There are color codes, the color tells what kinds of fires the fire extinguisher is useful for:

Fire Class	Geometric Symbol	Pictogram	Intended Use
A	Green Triangle	Garbage can and wood pile fire	Ordinary solid combustibles
B	Red Square	Fuel container and burning puddle	Flammable liquids and gases
C	Blue Circle	Electric plug wand burning outlet	Energized (live) electrical equipment
D	Yellow Pentagram (Star)	Burning Gear and Bearing	Combustible metals
K	Black Hexagon	Pan burning	Cooking oils and fats

There are also different sizes of fire extinguishers. Bigger fire extinguishers can be used for a longer time. Hand-held fire extinguishers vary between 0.5 and 14 kg. A 2 kg extinguisher works for about two to four seconds, the 12 kg model for about eighteen seconds. There are also bigger fire extinguishers, mounted on a cart or a vehicle. These are used to fight fires at airports, for example.

To be useful, fire extinguishers need to be checked at regular intervals. Usually, there are laws about this duration, concerning fire extinguishers in public buildings.

Transparent fire extinguishers are used for training
A 1904 advertisement showing how to use a fire extinguisher

Images for kids

Wheeled fire extinguisher and a sign inside a parking lot
A British fire extinguisher with ID sign, call point and fire action sign
Automatic engine compartment fire extinguisher installed on a hybrid city bus.
A dedicated trolley loaded with extinguishers ready to move where needed for rapid use
An empty fire extinguisher which was not replaced for years.
A fire extinguisher stored inside a cabinet mounted to a wall
Heavy-duty CO2-powered fire extinguisher on standby at a temporary helicopter landing site
Fire extinguishers in a museum storeroom, cut to display their inner workings.
A glass grenade-style extinguisher, to be thrown into a fire.
A US copper building type soda-acid extinguisher.
A US building-type chemical foam extinguisher with contents.
Pyrene apparatus type chemical foam, 1960s
A Pyrene, brass, carbon tetrachloride extinguisher.
Pyrene 1 qt. pump-type chlorobromomethane (CB or CBM), 1960s, UK
National Methyl Bromide extinguishers, UK, 1930s–1940s.
Bell Telephone CO₂ extinguisher made by Walter Kidde, 1928.
Du Gas cartridge-operated dry chemical extinguisher, 1945.
Ansul Met-L-X cartridge-operated dry powder fire extinguisher for class D fires, 1950s.
A small, disposable sodium bicarbonate dry chemical unit intended for home kitchen use.
A typical dry chemical extinguisher containing 5 lb (2.3 kg). of monoammonium phosphate dry chemical.
A 10 lb (4.5 kg) stored pressure purple-K fire extinguisher
An 18 lb (8.2 kg) US Navy cartridge-operated purple-K dry chemical (potassium bicarbonate) extinguisher.
Two Super-K (potassium chloride) extinguishers.
Met-L-Kyl cartridge-operated fire extinguisher for pyrophoric liquid fires.
1970s Light Water AFFF foam fire extinguisher
Amerex Solid-Charge AFFF Fire Extinguisher, 1980s (obsolete)
A 2.5 US gal (9.5 L) USCG-approved 2+1⁄2-gallon AFFF foam fire extinguisher
General 2.5 gal. pump-type water fire extinguisher, 1960s, US
Stored pressure water extinguisher
Stored pressure loaded stream fire extinguisher
2.5 gallon water mist fire extinguisher for medical and MRI facilities
6-liter wet chemical fire extinguisher for use in commercial kitchens
Indian 5-gal. backpack pump tank for wildland firefighting, US
Amerex 10lb. CO₂ Fire Extinguisher, Circa 1989, US
Halon 1211 Fire Extinguisher
Halon 1301 Fire Extinguisher
5lb. Halotron-1 fire extinguisher
FE-36 Cleanguard fire extinguisher
Ansul Met-L-X 30lb. cartridge-operated sodium chloride dry powder
Amerex 30lb. Stored Pressure Sodium Chloride Class D Dry Powder, 1990s, US
Ansul Lith-X Cartridge-Operated Fire Extinguisher, graphite-base for lithium fires and other alkali metals
Ansul 30lb. Na-X cartridge-operated sodium carbonate fire extinguisher for sodium fires using non-corrosive agent.
A TMB extinguisher for magnesium fires
Buffalo fire extinguishers for magnesium fires using M-X liquid
Ternary Eutectic Chloride fire extinguisher for metal fires, UK.

Fire extinguisher facts for kids

Images for kids

See also