Are Fire Extinguishers an Ornament on Your Organization’s Wall?
You will walk past fire extinguishers located all around commercial establishments every day, whether as an employee, a visitor or otherwise. Knowing how to choose and use a fire extinguisher in Iowa is important because you may be able to save your life, the lives of others and reduce the damage to your organization’s property.
All fire extinguishers in Iowa are allocated a fire class. Simply, this means that certain fire extinguishers are required to fight certain fires. It is important that the wrong fire extinguisher is not incorrectly used as this could increase the damage and help the fire grow larger.
Many people will have seen examples of water being sprayed across an oil fire. This encourages the oil to move, and fire can take hold elsewhere and increase in size. This is why it is important that all organization’s train every employee in understanding the different classes of fire extinguishers in Iowa and how each can be used in an emergency.
Statistics are available online and from your local fire department which shows how successful portable fire extinguishers can be used within a workplace and in homes. You will find out that in three-quarters of incidents, a fire extinguisher completely dowsed the fire. In most of those circumstances, there was no need for the fire department to be contacted and asked to put out a fire.
Where individuals can be trained efficiently and effectively, most small fires can be dealt with by trained employees who are not putting their lives at risk of injury or worse.
When a fire is discovered at the earliest possible stage, the use of portable fire extinguishers can be sufficient to allow time for individuals to raise the alarm and help everyone leave the building and remove themselves to a safe location.