Fire Extinguishers

[Karl Laustrup]

Just bought a couple of fire extinguishers for the garage/shop yesterday. Had never really thought about having them in the garage/shop before, but was buying one for the house and decided I should have a couple where I make saw dust and use chemicals.

Do you keep fire extinguisher[s] in your shop? How many and where are they?
What type [A, B, C, or ?] What about foam? I was looking at maybe getting one of those, but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for the shop/garage.

I haven't mounted them yet, but was thinking one of them would get mounted right at the walk in door. Where should the other go so that, if needed, it could be grabbed and used quickly?

Thanks for your input.

[Jim Becker]

I have two extinguishers in the shop, one by the main entry door and one by the door to the "tractor garage bay". Without going out to look, I think I have the A-B-C variety. One other thing you should have is a first aid kit mounted where it's easy to get to in a hurry...and put the makings for a tourniquet in it just for good measure...

[Karl Laustrup]

I have two extinguishers in the shop, one by the main entry door and one by the door to the "tractor garage bay". Without going out to look, I think I have the A-B-C variety. One other thing you should have is a first aid kit mounted where it's easy to get to in a hurry...and put the makings for a tourniquet in it just for good measure...

Thanks for the heads up on the first aid kit, Jim.

I will get one as soon as possible and include something to use as a tourniquet.

Would that rubber stuff they use when they take blood work as a tourniquet?

[Tom Saurer]

I've got one in my shop, the ABC variety. I've also got another one in the kitchen.

When buying an extinguisher be sure to get a proper sized one. Onetime I used a smaller one and it last for a couple seconds and that was it. I would hate for someone to loss a shop/house because they ran out.

[Jim DeLaney]

...Do you keep fire extinguisher[s] in your shop? How many and where are they?...

You dammbetcha I do! I have three, located (hopefully conveniently) around the shop. They're all 10 pound Dry Chem ABC extinguishers. I also have a 5# Halon extinguisher near the electrical panel.

Additionally, I have a First Aid kit, and a wall-mounted telephone that has <B><I>huge buttons</B></I> on it - big enough to hit with an elbow, if it comes to that. The phone, btw, is one I picked up at an 'invalid supply' place, and is intended for someone who is either arthritic or sight-impaired. I've had it for about fifteen years, and it's now in its third shop...

[Mike Tempel]

As a former professional firefighter I suppose I thought that having one was second nature. Then again, now that I think about it more than a few fires I fought could have been extinguished long before I got there if an extinguisher had been available.

As for type, be sure you get the correct one. An ABC is typically the best bet for general home use. The letters represent the kinds of combustibles a particular extinguisher is capable of extinguishing. An "A" is for common household goods (wood, paper, etc.). The "B" type is basically for petroleum products (oil, gas, etc.). The "C" is for electrical fires and lastly the "D" is for metals (like magnesium). Typically an ABC is a catch all and is widely available. Halon is good for electrical and computer components as it leaves behind no powdery residue like a normal extinguisher. Halon is becoming harder to get as it has some environmental concerns.

In short, make sure you have one or three or four available. They are fairly cheap insurance and good peace of mind to have available. Like it was said before - not much worse than almost getting the fire out. Better to clean up a bunch of dry chem than bulldoze off a slab and start over.

[David Fried]

Two. Both 3 lb. ABC dry chemical. First aid kit mounted under the one in the middle of the room with the cell phone. Second one is closer to the door - I know which way I'm running!

[Lee Schierer]

I have several in my shop as well. One suggestion I have is that you should go buy another one and then go out in the back yard and start a fire with scraps from your shop. Let it get going pretty good and then use the extinguisher to put it out. It will give you a better understanding of what one can do and more importantly what it can't do. After the test you may want to go buy another one or two or a larger size and get the local Fire number posted on your phone.

Let LOML try it also.

[Wes Bischel]

You bet I do:
5# ABC in shop entrance (in basement)
5# ABC at the top of the basement stairs
3# ABC in kitchen
5# ABC in garage
one in every car

Is it obvious my father-in-law is a fire safety inspector?

Wes

[Karl Laustrup]

Thanks to all that have responded so far.

The ones I got are all 3# A,B,C.

Jim, where did you find a 5# Halon? I haven't seen any kind of halon for a number of years. Used to carry one in each vehicle as well as had one handy in the house. Also, where did you pick up a 10# unit? I'm one of those people that figures more is better, especially when it comes to putting out fires.

Mike, maybe you can tell me, what do the UL Rated numbers mean? I.E. the box that mine came in say "1-A:10-B:C and I did notice different numbers on other types of extinguishers.

Lee, thanks for the tip on getting the rest of the family familiar with the use of the extinguishers. I have a couple of older ones, the guage says they are good. I don't want to take the chance on being surprised by these older ones, so I think I'll give the LOML and grand daughter a lesson on the use of said equipment.

"Is it obvious my father-in-law is a fire safety inspector?" Wes, I think that's a good thing.

[Mike Tempel]

Karl,
Thanks for asking as this is not really common information. The "1-A, 10-BC" ratings that UL uses are derived from their testing of that particular size and type extinguisher. The numbers represent the size in square footage that that extinguisher was able to put out. For instance, a "1-A" labeled extinguisher was able during testing to put out a fire involving 1 square foot of wood, paper, etc (normal common combustibles). And the "10-BC" says that the same extinguisher (when full) was capable of extinguishing a 10 sq ft area of BC material (B-gasoline, oil, liquid flammables, and C-electrical fires). All technically gobbly gook if you ask me as you can have a hundred pound dry chem extinguisher but if not used properly it won't put out a match stick.
We train our firefighters here at work (big chemical company on the Houston Ship Channel) the easiest way to use an extinguisher and it may help you train your family. We call it PASS - the P stands for pull the pin from the extinguisher, the A is for Aim at the BASE of the fire, the first S is for squeeze the handle to deliver the extinguishing media, and the second S is for sweeping from side to side to extinguish the fire.
Hope this helps you help your family and maybe yourself as well.

[Karl Laustrup]

Thanks, Mike, for the info on the UL ratings. I did know about the PASS, but thanks for re-iterating the correct usage of a fire extinguisher.

I think I will be on the lookout for some bigger units to have in the garage as back up to the 3# ones. I'd much rather be safe than sorry.

[Larry Browning]

I have been trying to buy a good well supplied first a kit for the shop and I can't seem to find anything but those little ones in the plastic box meant for the car. I have even gone on line and can't seem to find anthing that I like. Where do I find a good first aid kit in a metal box that I can mount on the wall?

Thanks,

[Karl Laustrup]

Larry, did you do a Google search? I found this site and they have a first aid kit for home shops. Appears pretty complete for $31.00. I think I'll look around a bit more, but just may end up getting this one.

I don't think posting this URL will be a violation as it does pertain to and provides a link to a question pertaining to this thread. If deemed inappropriate, moderator[s] please remove it.

http://www.first-aid-product.com/consumer/hs840.htm .

There were other sites on Google upon doing a search for "first aid supply".

[Mike Tempel]

I made up a first aid kit from garden variety supplies you can get at any drug store and put it all in a small tackle box. I have found that some of the pre-made kits had a bunch of stuff that I never thought I would use (even though I used to be a paramedic I still have some common sense left). I couldn't begin to tell you how much I spent but I doubt it was much more than $30 or so. I just put in some bandaids, gauze, roller gauze, scissors, first aid ointment, and the like. Nothing too elaborate - I figure if I cut off my finger (heaven forbid) I would probably panic and stuff it in my shirt tail anyway.