Fire extinguisher.....service?

[TonyH]

Hi,

That little red fire extinguisher, that all of us (I hope) have fitted in our vans & possibly in the tow vehicle as well.....when did you check it last?

You may be aware that the most common type of 'aftermarket' extinguisher is the dry powder type, most probably the type fitted to your van & tow vehicle. The choice of a dry powder type extingisher for your van (as fitted in the Kedron factory) & vehicle is definately the best way to go as they work efficently with wood, paper, petrol, diesel, & electrical fires.

How often do you check the pressure guage on the extinguisher, is the needle in the GREEN servicable band?....if not the extinguisher must be serviced or replaced.

Do you know that with the extinguisher sitting in its mounting bracket (as it should be) that road vibrations transfered through the van/vehicle suspension cause the powder in the extinguisher to 'pack down'. With this packing down the dry powder is compressed to the point that if the extinguisher was need to be 'used' all you would get out of the unit would be propellant & a small amount of dry powder....with the bulk of the powder remaining in the extinguisher doing NOTHING!....But you can greatly reduce the risk of this happening by removing the extinguisher from it mounting bracket EVERY yes EVERY six months inverting the extinguisher & smacking the extinguisher firmly with you open hand several times to break up the powder then refitting the extinguisher in its bracket, not forgetting to check the pressure guage needle is in the serviceable green band.

Did you know that extinguishers have a 5 year serive life, they should be serviced or replaced EVERY 5 years. With the cost of labour & materials now it is cheaper to purchase a new extinguisher than have the 'old' one serviced. So every 5 years you buy a new one & your left with an out of date unit....what do you do with it. Well here is a suggestion, next time you are having a camp fire or doing some burning off (not to common now) grab the 'old' extinguisher & practice putting out the fire with it. (Remembering

to dispose of the old extinguisher in the envronmentally correct manner.) Fighting a fire can be a very stressful & potentially dangerous operation & in the heat of the monent it would be great to have a little bit of experiance on how to use an extinguisher.

I started this thread as a public awareness. I dont claim to be a qualified fire fighter

Possibly some other members would like to contribute to this thread.....

See you down the road.