Fire blankets can be used to cover a small fire in order to deprive it of oxygen and smother
the fire. If you do install a fire blanket, mount it next to a fire extinguisher and check
that it meets the BS 65775 standards.
Fire extinguisher
Fire extinguishers are very useful if installed in a kitchen, the source of most household
fires. Check that the extinguisher complies with BS 5423. All general-purpose fire
extinguishers are designed to tackle small fires. A fire extinguisher should never be used
to extinguish a chip-pan fire. There are six specific kinds of fire extinguisher which are
colour coded:
Colour
Contains
Uses
Red
Water
Unsuitable for
electrical equipment, chip pan fires, flammable liquids.
It is only suitable for burning paper, wood, clothing,
some furnishings and furniture.
Black
Carbon
Dioxide
Unsuitable for use in
confined spaces. It can be used for most fires.
Green
Vaporising
liquid
As the fumes are
poisonous, this type of extinguisher is unsuitable for
use in confined spaces. It can be used for most fires.
Cream
Foam
Useful for fires containing flammable
liquids.
White
Foam
Useful for fires
containing flammable liquids.
Blue
Dry
powder
This is the most
popular and the safest type of extinguisher to use. It
can be used on electrical equipment and flammable
liquids.
