When considering the type of fire extinguishers required for any environment, we need to identify the risks present – what can catch fire in the area?
Let’s head over to your office now ….. ok, so take a look around, what do you see?
The first thing we see is the office furniture – desks, chairs, filing cabinets containing paper etc. Maybe you have carpeted floors or window blinds. These are all combustible items and fall in what we in the industry call Class A risk. The best type of extinguishing agent for fires involving wood, paper, textiles is WATER. This type of extinguisher comes in a variety of sizes, we commonly install a 6ltr Water or Water with Additive in a small, open plan office.
Now let’s look a little closer, what other risks can we see? Computers, printers, phones, internet equipment. The recommended fire extinguisher for fires involving electrical equipment is CO2 which is sometimes referred to as Carbon Dioxide. Powders are also good at tackling this type of fire but due to the amount of mess and damage to equipment they can cause, we don’t install them in offices. A 2kg unit is adequate for offices.
If laptops are used or stored in the office, it is worth considering this as a different risk because lithium-ion fires often reignite and therefore require an alternative extinguishing agent designed especially for these types of fires. They are often more costly than traditional Water and Co2 but will give the best chance of cooling the equipment and stopping the fire from spreading and causing further damage.
And now, it’s time for a tea break! Oh wait, what about the staff room or kitchen area? Depending on the size and layout of your office, you may need to protect against the fire risks in this area too.
Before you head off to source fire extinguishers online, do you know that for compliance with regulations, they should be commissioned by a competent person prior to installation? Also, although buying online appears cheaper, in actual fact, by the time you add on delivery charges, commissioning and installation, it’s usually cheaper to use a fire safety expert such as ourselves.
If you’re not local to us in South Wales, we recommend you find a registered company on www.bafe.org.uk – look for a company who holds the SP101 scheme accreditation which is fire extinguishers.
BAFE technicians are qualified in the correct selection, positioning and installation of fire extinguishers. Choosing an independent contractor usually works out more cost effective and you can almost guarantee a better level of customer service than when compared to a national company!
Let us know how you get on – we’d be delighted to hear how this blog post has helped protect you and your business!
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