Fire Wizard Fire Safety

There is a reason CO2 extinguishers don't have the Class A (combustible solid fire) pictogram even though they don't go as far as a "Warning do not use..." on the label. The high pressure of discharge, negligible cooling effect and transient nature of oxygen displacement mean that on solids material can be scattered, deep seated material burn on or reignite and (with some exceptions) should not be considered for these risks. In the video below 10kg of CO2 fails where 3 litres of water additive or 6 litres of water spray would be very effective with both extinction and minimal reignition risk: https://lnkd.in/dijnZT9D

From 15 years old to 50 years old - if they aren't serviced they are of little use! Last weeks finds from a variety of business parks all share the same fact of little to no service history, even from when they were within their service life. You MoT your car (hopefully) so do the same with your fire protection equipment. - 1970 2.5lb aluminium CO2 extinguisher, overhauled in 1988 - Early pre-1974 Chubb ABC Powder (using the earlier Pyrene design) discharge tested and repainted by them in the early 80's - Early 2000's Delta internal cartridge ABC powder extinguishers (the design dates back to the 70's)

Fire Extinguishers don't last forever! After several people posting tantalising photos of old extinguishers that would sit nicely in my collection here is one I found myself today! It's a 1988 Firemaster standard BC Powder extinguisher - unusually despite being an aerosol it was made to the 'proper' extinguisher standard of the time BS5423 having a pressure gauge & full colour code. Whilst extinguishers generally CAN & SHOULD last more than 5 years, 36 years is pushing it - especially as aerosols, only having a visual maintenance regime & no recharging, have a strict life limit of 5 years (or less)!

No prizes for guessing what the first question to the attendees was on this course! Whilst online training is cheap & convenient and has it's place it's generic and looses the benefits of group interaction and specific queries as well as the opportunity to tailor training to the specific workplace (including relating hazards and issues specifically to it). This client operates a working farm & cafe that provides visits and residential experiences as well as classroom accommodation for both mainstream & SEN students so it was important to tailor the training to help the staff manage the evacuation of these people as well as be aware of the varied risks the site can present. Face to face training also allowed for practical instruction in the use of extinguishers.

Considering it only updates every few years whenever I can find suitable material my fire safety Youtube channel has reached 1000 subscribers! It is primarily archive training material, which whilst film quality is variable the production standards and content is usually high quality. If anyone finds any dusty 16mm film reels or VHS tapes of relevant footage that is worthy of preservation & sharing please send it my way! Videos at https://lnkd.in/emRSUJ7f I would create original content - but I need to find time and locations!

Competence isn't a one off thing - it's a never ending journey of learning, development & improvement. I made sure I found the time to complete my 3 yearly Extinguisher Service Technician refresher this week with Alan Palmer - and a very enjoyable day it was too - useful updates and a great room of fellow professionals having a sensible debate about recent developments in equipment & standards!