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Fire Ext

A fire extinguisher is a portable device used to extinguish small fires by applying substances that cool the fire, deprive it of oxygen, or disrupt chemical reactions. Different types of extinguishers are suited for various classes of fires, including those involving wood, flammable liquids, electrical equipment, and reactive metals, with water being effective only for Class A fires. The development of fire extinguishers has evolved from primitive hand pumps to modern devices utilizing various chemical solutions, with significant advancements made since the early 1700s.

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5 views3 pages

Fire Ext

A fire extinguisher is a portable device used to extinguish small fires by applying substances that cool the fire, deprive it of oxygen, or disrupt chemical reactions. Different types of extinguishers are suited for various classes of fires, including those involving wood, flammable liquids, electrical equipment, and reactive metals, with water being effective only for Class A fires. The development of fire extinguishers has evolved from primitive hand pumps to modern devices utilizing various chemical solutions, with significant advancements made since the early 1700s.

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galaxy guardians
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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fire extinguisher, portable or movable apparatus used to put out a

small fire by directing onto it a substance that cools the burning


material, deprives the flame of oxygen, or interferes with the
chemical reactions occurring in the flame. Water performs two of
these functions: its conversion to steam absorbs heat, and the
steam displaces the air from the vicinity of the flame. Many simple
fire extinguishers, therefore, are small tanks equipped with hand
pumps or sources of compressed gas to propel water through a
nozzle. The water may contain a wetting agent to make it more
effective against fires in upholstery, an additive to produce a stable
foam that acts as a barrier against oxygen, or an antifreeze. Carbon
dioxide is a common propellant, brought into play by removing the
locking pin of the cylinder valve containing the liquefied gas; this
method has superseded the process, used in the soda-acid fire
extinguisher, of generating carbon dioxide by mixing sulfuric
acid with a solution of sodium bicarbonate.
Numerous agents besides water are used; the selection of the most
appropriate one depends primarily on the nature of the materials
that are burning. Secondary considerations include cost, stability,
toxicity, ease of cleanup, and the presence of electrical hazard.

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fire extinguisherFire extinguishers useful against fires involving flammable liquids


and electrical equipment.
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fire extinguisherTypes of fire extinguishers.

Small fires are classified according to the nature of the burning


material. Class A fires involve wood, paper, and the like; Class B
fires involve flammable liquids, such as cooking fats and paint
thinners; Class C fires are those in electrical equipment; Class D
fires involve highly reactive metals, such
as sodium and magnesium. Water is suitable for putting out fires of
only one of these classes (A), though these are the most common.
Fires of classes A, B, and C can be controlled by carbon dioxide,
halogenated hydrocarbons such as halons, or dry chemicals such as
sodium bicarbonate or ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. Class D
fires ordinarily are combated with dry chemicals.
Related Topics:

firefighting

halon
On the Web:

National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Thermal


characteristics of fire extinguishing agents in compartment fire
suppression (Jan. 24, 2026)

A primitive hand pump for directing water at a fire was invented


by Ctesibius of Alexandria about 200 BCE, and similar devices were
employed during the Middle Ages. In the early 1700s devices
created independently by English chemists Ambrose Godfrey and
French C. Hoppfer used explosive charges to disperse fire-
suppressing solutions. English inventor Capt. George Manby
introduced a handheld fire extinguisher—a three-gallon tank
containing a pressurized solution of potassium carbonate—in 1817.
Modern incarnations employing a variety of chemical solutions are
essentially modifications of Manby’s design.

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