OSHA regulations, state ordinances and local fire codes require industrial facilities,
office complexes and public buildings to have portable fire extinguishers located near all
potential fire hazards.
— The Department of Transportation requires that all commercial vehicles be equipped with
extinguishers, as well.
 Extinguishers should be mounted on hangers or in marked fire extinguisher cabinets, where
they can be clearly seen.
— Never store an extinguisher on the floor, in a closet, or behind furniture, plants or
decorations.
— When a fire starts there is no time to search for an extinguisher that works.
— They must be within easy reach and ready to go!
2  Fire extinguisher inspections and maintenance
should be a major part of your facility's fire prevention policy.
— Check extinguishers at least once a month to make sure that they are in good shape.
— Look them over weekly if they are located outdoors.
 When examining an extinguisher, make sure that:
— The pressure gauge shows that it is fully charged.
— The locking pin and plastic "tamper seal" are in place.
— The hose and horn are unobstructed and in good shape.
— The metal parts are free of corrosion.
Fire extinguishers are designed to put out small fires before they grow out of control.
— But putting out fires with an extinguisher is not always easy, and it can be dangerous
if you don't know what you're doing.
 To use an extinguisher effectively it's helpful to know what causes things to burn.
— Fires start with heat, which is the "source of ignition."
— Heat can be generated by many things, including open flames, chemical reactions,
faulty electrical circuits and overheated equipment.
3  Once a fire is burning, it produces more
heat and grows even larger.
— As long as there is enough fuel and oxygen, a fire will continue to spread.
 Fuel can include combustible solids like paper, wood and some metals, flammable liquids
and ignitable gases.
 It's the vapors coming off of a substance, mixed with oxygen in the air, that burn.
— Some materials are always giving off flammable vapors, while others have to be heated for
vapors to appear.
 For example, you have to apply heat to get wood to burn.
— The heat causes the wood to decompose, creating ash and flammable vapors.
— The vapors then mix with oxygen and ignite.
 Since fire is a "chain reaction" between heat, fuel and oxygen, a fire will continue
to burn until the heat is removed, the fuel is used up or the oxygen runs out.
— Fire extinguishers work by applying substances that interrupt the "chain reaction," either
cooling a fire, depriving it of oxygen, or both.