FIRE EXTINGUISHING TRAINING

Transcription

1 FIRE EXTINGUISHING TRAINING

2 Being familiar with fire extinguishers and how they are used make good sense. Fire extinguishers can be utilized to put out small fires or to contain fires, which may prevent injury or loss of life. Fire extinguishers are of little help if individuals do not know how to properly use them. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandate s that employers provide employee training on portable fire extinguishers if employers supply the equipment. Good Shepherd does supply fire extinguishers throughout the campuses. Please read this booklet carefully, as information has been changed from previous years. Complete the test at the end and submit your answers to Susan Lee-Quality, Main 1 before December 31 of the current year. Any tests submitted after December 31 will not be credited for the current year s mandatory education. KEY TIPS TO REMEMBER There are some key tips to remember before you attempt to contain or fight a fire. Pull the nearest fire alarm or tell a co-worker to pull it. Over-head page the appropriate code for your specific location (if applicable) Make sure people are evacuating the area. Good Shepherd utilizes horizontal evacuations first and vertical evacuations as a last resort. Move patients and visitors behind fire doors or out of building. Make sure ALL rooms are checked and doors that are opened are closed. If rooms are vacant, place a vacant sign on the door to mark that the room has been checked and no one is in there. Evaluate the fire. Determine whether you can safely contain the fire or if it is too much. If hazardous or flammable materials are near the fire, the situation might be quite dangerous. Make sure that you know how to properly use a fire extinguisher. Approach the fire cautiously. Remember to stay a minimum of 6 feet away to avoid being burned from any flashes or inhaling any chemical from the extinguisher. Make sure that you have an unobstructed escape route to your back, in case the fire can not be extinguished.

3 CLASSES OF FIRES According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are several different classes of fire. Knowing the differences will assist with knowing which fire extinguisher is appropriate to use during a fire. CLASS A: This fire involves materials such as wood, paper, cardboard, and many plastics TYPES OF EXTINGUISHERS Since there are different classes of fires, there are different types of fire extinguishers to help fight them. DRY CHEMICAL: These extinguishers come in a variety of types and are suitable for a combination of class A, B and C fires. These are filled with foam or powder and pressurized with nitrogen. CLASS B: This fire involves liquids and gases. Examples would be gasoline, fuel oil, propane, and butane gas. CLASS C: This fire is in or near energized electrical equipment such as motors, appliances, and computers. CLASS D: This fire involves combustible metals. Examples would be magnesium, lithium, and potassium. BC - This is the regular type of dry chemical extinguisher. It is filled with sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate. The BC variety leaves a mildly corrosive residue which must be cleaned immediately to prevent any damage to materials. ABC - This is the multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher. The ABC type is filled with monoammonium phosphate, a yellow powder that leaves a sticky residue that may be damaging to electrical appliances such as a computer CLASS K: This fire involves combustibles most often found in kitchens. Examples would be cooking oils, fats, and grease. Fuel Source Ordinary combustibles (e.g. trash, wood, paper, cloth) Flammable liquids (e.g. oils, grease, tar, gasoline, paints, thinners) Class of Fire A B Type of Extinguisher (Extinguishing Agent) Water; chemical foam; dry chemical* Carbon dioxide (CO2); halon**; dry chemical; aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) HALOTRON: These extinguishers contain a gas that interrupts the chemical reaction that takes place when fuels burn. This extinguisher is often utilized in computer rooms, telecommunication areas, and theaters. WATER: These extinguishers are suitable for Class A fires only. Never use a water extinguisher on grease fires, electrical fires or class D fires - the flames will spread and make the fire bigger! Water extinguishers are filled with water and are typically pressurized with air. Again - water extinguishers can be very dangerous in the wrong type of situation. Only fight the fire if you're certain it contains ordinary combustible materials only. Electricity (e.g. live electrical equipment) Combustible metals (e.g. magnesium, titanium) Combustible Cooking (e.g. cooking oils; animal fats, vegetable fats) C D K CO2; halon; dry chemical Dry powder (suitable for the specific combustible metal involved) Wet chemical (Potassium acetate based) Carbon Dioxide: These extinguishers contain carbon dioxide, a nonflammable gas, and are highly pressurized. The pressure is so great that it is not uncommon for bits of dry ice to shoot out the nozzle. They don't work very well on Class A fires because they may not be able to displace enough oxygen to put the fire out, causing it to re-ignite.

4 FIRE EXTINGUISHER RATINGS When selecting the appropriate type of fire extinguisher, it is important to think about extinguishing agents. Each class of fire is best fought by a specific extinguishing agent. You will find a color-coded box on your fire extinguisher identifying which classes of fire it can be used for, and the type of fire extinguishing agent it contains. This rating also indicates the size of fire that the device is capable of extinguishing when it is correctly operated by a trained person. The larger the rating number, the bigger the fire that the device can extinguish. The following is a list of commonly used fire extinguishing systems and their corresponding classes of fire. The classes are indicated in parentheses such as (A, B, C): Multi-Purpose Dry Chemical (A, B, C) A dry chemical agent called mono ammonium phosphate. The chemical is nonconductive and can be mildly corrosive if moisture is present. In order to avoid corrosion, it is necessary to scrub and thoroughly cleanup the contacted area once the fire is out. A dry chemical fire extinguisher is usually used in schools, general offices, hospitals, homes, etc. extinguishers with foam are usually used in garages, homes, vehicles, workshops, etc. Purple K Dry Chemical (B, C) A dry chemical called potassium bicarbonate. It is non-conductive and noncorrosive. Clean up requires vacuuming, sweeping or flushing with water. Extinguishers with potassium bicarbonate are usually used in military facilities, oil companies, vehicles, etc. Water (A) The most common agent is water; however, it cannot be used for class B or C fires because it is conductive. Water-based fire extinguishers are usually used in stockrooms, schools, offices, etc. Wet Chemical fire extinguishers (K) The potassium acetate based agent discharges as a fine mist which forms a soapy foam that suppresses any vapors and steam or the risk of fire re-flash as it extinguishes the fire. Class K fire extinguishers can usually be found in commercial cooking areas such as restaurants and cafeterias. Regular Dry Chemical (B, C) A dry chemical agent called sodium bicarbonate. It is non-toxic, non-conductive and non-corrosive. It is easy to cleanup, requiring only vacuuming, sweeping or flushing with water. Extinguishers with sodium bicarbonate are usually used in residential kitchens, laboratories, garages, etc. Carbon Dioxide (B, C) Carbon dioxide removes oxygen to stop a fire but has limited range. It is environmentally friendly and leaves no residue, so cleanup is unnecessary. Extinguishers with carbon dioxide are usually used in contaminationsensitive places such as computer rooms, labs, food storage areas, processing plants, etc. Halotron (A, B, C) A vaporizing liquid that is ozone friendly and leaves no residue. Because it requires no cleanup, fire extinguishers with halotron are ideal for computer rooms, telecommunication areas, theaters, etc. Foam (A, B) Foam floats on flammable liquids to tame the fire and helps prevent re-flashes. To cleanup the affected area, it must be washed away and left to evaporate. Fire

5 When determining which fire extinguisher is most appropriate look at the UL label on the canister. Even though fire extinguishers come in a number of sizes, they all operate in a similar manner. If you need to use a fire extinguisher, remember the acronym PASS. P: Pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher that keeps the handle from being accidentally pressed. A: Aim the nozzle toward the base of the fire. Remember to hold the nozzle close to the metal ring for better control. S: Stand approximately 6 feet away from the fire and Squeeze the handle to discharge the extinguisher. If you release the handle, the discharge will stop. When looking at the UL label, individuals will see a classification, such as 4-A:60-B:C. The A rating is a water equivalency rating. Each A is equivalent to 1.25 gallons of water. 4A=5 gallons of water. The B:C rating is equivalent to the amount of square footage that the extinguisher can cover. 60B:C=60 square feet of coverage. The C indicates that the extinguisher is suitable for use on electrically energized equipment. S: Sweep the nozzle back and forth at the base of the fire. Remember to sweep slowly so that you can smother the fire. Be sure that the fire is completely out before leaving. If the fire is unable to be extinguished make sure you, patients, visitors, and coworkers are getting behind the fire doors or out of the building. Every fire extinguisher has the UL rating on a label or nameplate.

6 Fire Extinguisher Test 1. Before you attempt to fight a fire in your area, you should: a. Sound the fire alarm. b. Make sure that people are evacuating the fire area. c. Evaluate the fire to determine if you can safely fight the fire with the extinguisher you have on hand. d. All of the above. 2. Which type of fire involves materials such as energized electrical equipment? a. Class A b. Class B c. Class C d. Class D e. Class K 3. Which type of fire involves materials such as flammable liquids? a. Class A b. Class B c. Class C d. Class D e. Class K 4. The following type(s) of fire extinguisher can be used on class A fires: a. Class A extinguishers b. Class B extinguishers c. Multi-class extinguishers that are labeled A-B-C d. Both A and C e. None of the above 5. If in the event Rehab 2 in the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital had a fire they would a. Overhead page Dr. Khan, 3 times b. Overhead page Dr. Wintergreen, 4 times and the location c. Overhead page Dr. Wintergreen, 5 times and the location d. Overhead page Dr. Unk, and the location e. Do nothing 6. PASS stands for: a. Push, Alarm, Squeeze, Sweep b. Pause, Alarm, Squeeze, Sweep c. Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep d. Pull, Aim, Stand, Squeeze 7. What type of fire extinguisher is commonly found throughout Good Shepherd? a. Halon b. Water c. Dry Chemical d. Foam e. Carbon Dioxide

7 8. The larger the ratings number on a fire extinguisher, the bigger the fire that the device can extinguish. a. True b. False Please remove this test page and return to Susan Lee Quality, Main 1. Name: Department: Date: