Choosing A Fire Extinguisher
Water
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
Red  Water |
Wood, Cloth, Paper, Plastics, Coal etc .Fires involving solids | Do not use on burning fat or oil or on electrical appliances | Point the jet at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire. Ensure that all areas of the fire are out. | Mainly by cooling burning material. |
Multi-Purpose Dry Powder
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
| Wood, Cloth, Paper, Plastics, Coal etc. Fires involving solids. Liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol,etc. |
Safe on live electrical equipment, although does
not penetrate the spaces in equipment easily and the fire may re-ignite.
This type of extinguisher does not cool the fire very well and care should be taken that the fire does not flare up again. Smoldering material in deep seated fires such as upholstery or bedding can cause the fire to start up again. Do not use on chip or fat pan fires. |
Point the jet or discharge horn at the base of the flames and, with a rapid sweeping motion, drive the fire towards the far edge until all the flames are out. If the extinguisher has a shut-off control wait until the air clears and if you can still see the flames, attack the fire again. | Knocks down flames and, on burning solids, melts to form a skin smothering the fire. Provides some cooling effect. |
Standard Dry Powder
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
| Liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol
etc. but not on chip or fat pan fires. |
Safe on live electrical equipment, although does
not penetrate the spaces in equipment easily and the fire may re-ignite.
This type of extinguisher does not cool the fire very well and care should be taken that the fire does not re-ignite. Do not use on chip or fat pan fires. |
Point the jet or discharge horn at the base of the flames and, with a rapid sweeping motion, drive the fire towards the far edge until all the flames are out. If the extinguisher has a shut-off control wait until the air clears and if you can still see the flames, attack the fire again. | Knocks down flames. |
AFFF(Aqueous film-forming foam) (multi-purpose)
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
Cream  AFFF (Aqueous film-forming foam) (multi-purpose) |
Wood, Cloth, Paper, Plastics, Coal etc. Fires involving solids. Liquids such as grease, fats, oil, paint, petrol,etc. |
Do not use on chip or fat pan fires. | For fires involving solids, point the jet at the
base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire. Ensure
that all areas of the fire are out.
For fire involving liquids, do not aim the jet straight into the liquid. |
Forms a fire extinguishing film on the surface of a burning liquid. Has a cooling action with a wider extinguishing application than water on solid combustible materials. |
Foam
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
Cream Foam |
Limited number of liquid fires. | Do not use on chip or fat pan fires. Check manufacturer's
instructions for suitability of use on other fires involving liquids.
These extinguishers are generally not recommended for home use. |
Do not aim jet straight into the liquid. Where the liquid on fire is in a container, point the jet at the inside edge of the container or on a nearby surface above the burning liquid. Allow the foam to build up and flow across the liquid. | Forms a fire extinguishing film on the surface of a burning liquid. Has a cooling action with a wider extinguishing application than water on solid combustible materials. |
Carbon Dioxide
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
| Liquids such as grease, fats, oil paint, petrol etc. but not on chip or fat pan fires. | Do not use on chip or fat pan fires.
This type of extinguisher does not cool the fire very well and you need to watch that the fire does not start up again. Fumes from CO2 extinguishers can be harmful if used in confined spaces: ventilate the area as soon as the fire has been controlled. |
The discharge horn should be directed at the base of the flames and the jet kept moving across the area of the fire. | Vaporizing liquid gas which smothers the flames by displacing oxygen in the air. |
Fire Blanket
| Extinguisher | Best For | Danger | How To Use | How It Works |
 Fire Blanket |
Fires involving both solids and liquids. Particularly good for small fires in clothing and for chip and fat pan fires provided the blanket completely covers the fire. | If the blanket does not completely cover the fire, it will not be able the fire to be extinguished. | Place carefully over the fire. Keep your hands shielded from the fire. Do not waft the fire towards you. | Smothers the fire. |
Types of Extinguisher ( & Colour Coding)
The main types of extinguisher that you will come across are,
* Water (Red)
* CO2 (Black) See Cut-away section
* Dry Powder (Blue) See Cut-away section
* Foam (Cream)
These have been colour coded so that you can identify them quickly and you do not use the wrong extinguisher and put yourself in danger. The main body colour of the extinguisher have changed a couple of times over the past few years (any extinguishers that are not of the correct colour will be replaced when they become unserviceable), however the type colour has remained the same.
* Water extinguishers are usually coloured signal red.
* Other types of extinguishers fall into a couple of categories, either:
1. The entire body of the extinguisher is coloured in the type colour
2. Predominantly red with a 5% second colour to indicate the contents of the
extinguisher. Or
3. Predominantly red with a bold coloured block in the relevant colour stating
it's type.
It is recommended that extinguishers within the same building conform to a single colour scheme to avoid confusion.
If you have any doubt then please contact your local Fire Safety department for advice.
In the above table the extinguishers have been listed with the colour of the extinguisher matching the colour type. This is to highlight the colour type only and any new extinguisher purchased or leased will be predominantly red.