Information On Number Of Fire Extinguishers Required 5e3r1k

3/3/2016

Information on number of fire extinguishers required

Number of Fire Extinguishers Required The following information is provided for guidance purposes, and should not be relied upon for the purposes of a fire risk assessment, in which case, British Standard 53068:2000 should be referred to. Fire extinguishers for use on class A fires (flammable solids such as paper, wood, textiles etc) are ‘rated’ on their ability to extinguish test fires. The test rating can be found on the extinguisher label, e.g. 13A, 21A, 26A etc. Similarly, extinguishers for use on flammable liquids are given a class B rating e.g. 34B, however the calculation for these is different and is not covered here. CLASS 'A' EXTINGUISHERS For any story in a building with a floor area equal to or less than 400 m² there should be a minimum of 2 x class 'A' extinguishers with a minimum combined fire rating of 26A.

examples: floor area 130m2 .......... 2 x 13A extinguishers floor area 390m2 .......... 2 x 13A extinguishers For any story in a building with a floor area greater than 400 m² there should be a minimum of two class A extinguishers with a minimum combined fire rating of 0.065 x floor area (m2)

We Accept the Following Cards

examples: For a floor area of 1250 m2: For 13A extinguishers:

1250 x 0.065 ÷ 13 = 6.25

Round up to 7

For 21A extinguishers:

1250 x 0.065 ÷ 21 = 3.87

Round up to 4

(As a rule of thumb one 13A extinguisher covers 200 square metres of floor area) There should be a minimum of 2 extinguishers per floor with a combined rating of at least 26A, unless the upper floor area is very small i.e. below 100m2, and in single occupancy, in which case, only a minimum rating of 13A is required on the upper floor. FIRES INVOLVING ELECTRICITY Normal practice is to use carbon dioxide (CO2) for fires involving live electrical equipment, however several different types of extinguisher are now suitable for use on 'electrical' fires. Surprisingly, some of these are water-based, such as water or foam spray in which case they will have ed the dielectric test specified in BS EN 3 - 7. This information can be found on the extinguisher label and will indicate the extinguisher has ed the 35 kV dielectric test at 1m (or similar). The maximum distance to reach a fire extinguisher from electrical equipment should not be more than 10m.

http://www.mfs-fire-extinguishers.co.uk/numbers.htm

1/2

3/3/2016

Information on number of fire extinguishers required

SITING of EXTINGUISHERS The extinguishers should be positioned close to exits, for further information on siting see: siting Where it is desirable to have smaller, lighter extinguishers, foam, or water with additives can be used to reduce weight whilst maintaining fire fighting capability. e.g. 6 Litre AFFF foam spray extinguishers are usually rated at 13A, but are approximately 30% lighter than 9 litre water. Specialised extinguishers should also be provided to cover classes B (Liquids), D (Metals), E (fires involving electrical apparatus) and F (cooking oils and fats), e.g. foam, carbon dioxide or powder. For an office environment we recommends the relevant number of 6L (or 3L) AFFF extinguishers plus an appropriate amount of CO2 extinguishers to cover any electrical risk.

Fire Extinguishers.

http://www.mfs-fire-extinguishers.co.uk/numbers.htm

2/2