FREE Fire Extinguisher PASS Use Poster for Downloading

Hopefully, you'll never be in a fire and so you'll never need to know how to use a fire extinguisher.

But of course, fires DO happen. According to the U.S. Fire Administration in a recent year there were nearly 1,300,000 fires in the US, and they caused nearly 3,300 deaths, 16,000 injuries, and nearly $12 billion in losses/damages.

So, we should all hope we're never involved in a fire, but we should also learn how to use a fire extinguisher just in case.

To help, we've put together fire extinguisher guide posters for downloading, which presents the proper way use a fire extinguisher, and also gives you some guidance about when you should use a fire extinguisher instead of simply getting to safety and when you should evacuate if the fire gets too big despite your efforts.

When to Use a Fire Extinguisher

What's the first thing you think of when you think of fire extinguisher steps of operation? Take a moment and give it some thought.

Was your first step something like "determine if I should use a fire extinguisher or get to safety instead?" If not, you overlooked a very important decision point.

If you're involved in a fire, there may be times when it's best for you to get to safety instead of trying to fight the fire. In fact, there are times when fighting the fire may increase the danger to yourself and to others in the area.

Here is a list of things to consider before you try to fight a fire. Only stay and fight the fire if you can say "yes" to every item on the list.

Is the fire small enough and contained enough that you can put it out safely?
Is a fire extinguisher available and within easy reach?
Is the fire extinguisher of the proper type to put out the kind of fire you want to extinguisher? (Read below for more on types of fires and fire extinguishers.)
Is the extinguisher fully charged and large enough to put out the fire?
Have you been trained to properly use a fire extinguisher?
Can you be certain that you won't be putting yourself or others at risk if you use the fire extinguisher to fight the fire?

When thinking about how to use a fire extinguisher, it's easy to overlook the first issue, but it may be the most important of all. Don't put yourself or others at risk by attempting to follow the fire extinguisher steps listed below if it's not a fire you can put out safely.

In many cases, the better and safer decision is to trigger a fire alarm, get yourself to safety and help others to safety, and make sure trained fire protection professionals are notified and on the way.

Hopefully, you'll never be in a fire and so you'll never need to know how to use a fire extinguisher. But if you do, be sure you know how to use it properly.

Safety Banners USA
Memphis Tennessee USA