One important step that a property owner can take to protect their investment is to choose and install the right fire extinguisher for their particular location. While it is commonly known that extinguishers come with rating numbers that indicate the amount of fire they are able to fight, it is not commonly known that there are specific extinguishers that must be used in different settings and scenarios.

The Kitchen Extinguisher

Most kitchen fires are caused during the course of regular cooking routines. Due to this fact, many kitchen fires include grease, oil and gas (used to fuel older model ranges).
Not every fire extinguisher on the market can properly battle flames infused with these substances and it is therefore imperative to select an extinguisher that is designed to fight kitchen fires.

The best fire extinguisher to use in the kitchen is a Class B extinguisher that has a high enough numerical rating to effectively protect the whole of your cooking area.

The Circuit Breaker Extinguisher

If you have a place on your property that houses a significant amount of wiring, such as a circuit breaker box or a room with a large number of electrical outlets, you will need to purchase an extinguisher that emits a non-conductive extinguishing agent. This will ensure that the fire is quenched instead of further activated by insufficient dousing agents.

A Class C fire extinguisher is the best choice for protecting rooms that pose an electrical fire threat.

The Office Extinguisher

In a typical home or work office, common materials such as paper, plastic, cardboard and lumber can be found. Unlike fires caused by chemical or electrical accidents, most office fires can be quenched using a water-based fire extinguisher. Again, it is imperative that you choose an extinguisher with a high enough numerical rating to fight the highest level of fire that you can anticipate occurring in your office setting.

A Class A extinguisher will work best in your home or work office.

The Laboratory Extinguisher

While not every home or office has a chemical laboratory in it, those that do include one need to invest in a special extinguisher type that is designed specifically to put out chemical agents. These extinguishers bear no numerical ratings and they are purposed for chemical fires only.

A Class D extinguisher should be used in laboratory settings.

Maintenance

It is imperative that you choose the right type of extinguisher for each of the different settings within your home or office property. In addition, it is important to make sure that your extinguishers are all well maintained and kept in accessible locations.

The pressure gauge on your extinguisher should always indicate that the contents are under the correct amount of pressure. Too much or too little pressure can render your extinguisher ineffective in the event of a fire and can cause a great deal of damage to your property and the people that you are responsible to protect. Make sure that the pressure gauge on each of your extinguishers is centered in the green portion of the readout. If this is not the case, replace your extinguisher or have it serviced immediately.

Home security is not just about keeping prowlers from entering your home. Protection from fire and smoke inhalation should also be covered in your security plans. Toward this end, you should install smoke detectors. In the years 2000 to 2004, no smoke detectors were present or if present, not in working order, in 46% of reported home fires. It has been estimated that 890 lives could be saved each year if every home had working smoke alarms.

Just to be sure everyone knows what I mean by a smoke detector; this is a device that detects smoke and issues a signal to a fire alarm system, and/or a local audible alarm from the detector itself.
For households with the hearing impaired, there are smoke alarms which have an audible and a strobe light alarm to which vibration devices can be added. If you have a full home security system, your smoke detector will send a call to the security company reporting that smoke has been detected so immediate action can be taken.

Smoke detectors work by either optical detection (photoelectric) or by physical process (ionization). There are some smoke detectors which operate by both methods to increase sensitivity to smoke. They may be battery powered or hard wired to the house electrical power, although if hard wired, battery back up is recommended in case the main power fails. Optical smoke detectors are generally quicker in detecting smoke generated by smoldering fires, while ionization smoke detectors are generally quicker at detecting smoke from flaming fires.

An air-sampling smoke detector, sometimes called a VESDA system, can detect microscopic particles of smoke and provide multiple levels of alerts, i.e. Alert, Action, Fire 1 and Fire 2. These systems are classified as High Sensitivity and allow early warning of a developing fire. Fire thresholds can be set to notify local fire fighters and to discharge fire suppression systems which are often installed with the VESDA.

Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, including the basement and attic. Also make sure there is a detector outside every sleeping area of your home. Hard-wired smoke detectors can and should be interconnected so all will sound if one detector sounds. If you sleep with your doors closed, install interconnected smoke detectors in every room. Make sure the battery backups are kept in good working order by replacing the batteries regularly.

A hard-wired smoke detector system should always be installed by a qualified electrician near or on the ceilings. Test all your smoke alarms monthly by pressing the test button. Replace all batteries once a year, or if the alarm “chirps”, replace the battery immediately. Replace all smoke alarms after 10 years of use or sooner if they do not respond properly to a “test”. Smoke alarms that include a recordable voice announcement may be more effective in awakening children, but as an extra measure of safety, an adult should be designated to make sure all children and the hearing impaired are alerted.

You really can’t afford to play around when it comes to the protection of your home and family. If you don’t have fire alarm systems installed in your home, you may wake up too late and face injury or even death. Additionally, no one wants to watch their home go up in smoke: you can replace furniture but you can’t replace memories, heirlooms, and photographs. Thus, you should take the time to invest in a fire alarm system. This could save you not only from injury but from a lot of pain and grief.

If you are on the hunt for fire alarm systems, then you should look for a total security system. Many of these items come equipped with fire detection and protection functions.
The following includes some basic information about fire alarm systems.

Fire alarm systems are more than a bell sounding. Today, if you invest in a home security system that is aimed at detecting and alarming you to fire, you can know that everything from the air to the window and doors in your home will be monitored. A fire alarm system is one that can detect if smoke is filling a home and if the heat is rising to a level that indicates a fire is in process or beginning. If you are asleep, you may not notice smoke or heat, especially if you sleep on a different floor or area of the home than the origin of the fire. Thus, fire alarm systems can detect what you may not notice.

If you are looking for fire alarm systems, you should make sure you know what happens if your system detects a fire. Some systems will simply sound an alarm whereas others may immediately contact local police or fire departments. The latter function could end up saving you’re your life and your home: a matter of seconds can mean the difference between putting a fire out fast and it devouring a home. However, you should know that the monitoring service of the system can not only make your system much more expensive but that you may also be charged a monthly monitoring service. Thus, you should weight the pros and cons carefully before you make a final decision. The more valuables in your home, the more the monitoring service makes sense.

When choosing between fire alarm systems, consider the control panel. You want this panel to be easy to use so that anyone in your home will know how to use and read it. Additionally, look for control panels that have an emergency battery in the event of a power outage. If there is inclement weather coming your way, it is better to be safe rather than sorry.