Having a fire extinguisher on hand is one of the best defenses in protecting your home from a significant amount of damage in the event of a fire. If you watched the video we posted last week, you could see just how precious minutes are when it comes to responding to a fire. Having a portable fire extinguisher on hand could mean the difference between a little burn mark on a couch and the total loss of a home. It’s estimated that 80% of fire incidents can be handled with the kind of fire extinguisher available to the public.
If you happen to fall into the 30% of homeowners that don’t own a fire extinguisher, we’ve got good news. They are easy to find. You can pick one up locally at Wal-Mart, Target, Menards, or Harbor Freight. To know what kind of fire extinguisher to get, you need to know what kind of fire you’re most at risk for:
Class A fires: involve combustibles like wood, paper, cloth, trash, and plastics.
Class B fires: involve flammable liquids, solvents, oil, gasoline, paint, and lacquers.
Class C fires: involve electrical equipment such as wiring, controls, motors, machinery, or appliances.
Class D fires involve combustible metals such as magnesium, lithium, and titanium.
Class K fires: involve things like oils and grease commonly found in kitchens.
Manufacturers have taken a lot of the guess work out of portable extinguishers. The most popular type of extinguisher found for homes is a combined class ABC. This covers a majority of the fires you’ll encounter, however, because the many fires start in the kitchen while cooking, it’s a good idea to have one in that space that is rated specifically for grease fires.
When you’re considering how many fire extinguishers to get, follow this rule – there should be at least one fire extinguisher for each level of your house. If you have a garage, one there as well. Place your fire extinguishers in areas where the risk of fire is higher: next to fire places, near electrical panels, space heaters, dehumidifiers and other appliances..
With a 95% success rate, a fire extinguisher provides added security and peace of mind to a homeowner. If you rent a home and your landlord hasn’t provided one, ask them for one. Iowa law does require landlords to provide that for you. If possible, see if you can purchase one and be reimbursed for it. Bottom line, don’t wait on them to get it to you. Purchase your own if necessary. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind and it could save you thousands in the long run!
