Fire extinguishers are a staple of every building. Whether that’s an office building, a school or even a church, fire extinguishers are crucial to ensure safety and meet legal requirements. Fire extinguishers are usually easy to spot in any building, with their bright red canister, lighting up hallways and offices up and down the country.
However, many people aren’t actually aware that there are different colours of extinguishers, representing different classes of fire. Understanding how different fire extinguishers are coloured is imperative if you work in or own a public or private building.
This understanding could be the difference between successfully putting out a fire or using the wrong extinguisher – and making things drastically worse.
Why are fire extinguishers colour coded?
Different types of fires require different types of fire extinguishers. Unfortunately, fires are still very prevalent in today’s society. Whilst fires are a natural phenomenon, many items in our day to day lives, such as electrical equipment, cookers, etc, are sometimes to blame.
The easiest way to understand the different types of fires is to break them down into individual classes. Below, we will go into detail on the different classes of fire. When you know the different classes of fire, it’s much easier to understand which coloured fire extinguisher you need for each situation.
What are the different classes of fire?
If you want to ensure the safety of your office or building, you need to understand the different fire classes and how to react to each of them. Each fire type will need to be prevented using a specific fire extinguisher.
It is a legal requirement for employers provide the correct fire extinguisher, suitable for the likely fire that could occur on the premise. If you want to find out more about how you can identify fire hazards, learn about them in our fire risk assessment guide.
Okay, now let’s get back to the fire classes.
Fires can be categorised into 6 different classes.
-
Class A fires – Combustible Materials
Fires caused by Flammable solids. These could be wood, paper and fabric.
-
Class B fires – Flammable Liquids
Fires caused by Flammable Liquids. These could be flammable liquids, like petrol, paint or white spirits.
-
Class C fires – Flammable Gases
Fires caused by flammable gases, such as hydrogen or methane.
-
Class D fires – Combustible Metals
Fires caused by metals and chemicals such as magnesium or potassium.
-
Class E fires – Electrical Equipment
Fires caused by metals and chemical
-
Class F fires – Cooking Oils
Fires caused by cooking oils and greases such as animal and vegetable fats.
Why did the fire extinguisher colours change?
Historically, to differentiate fire extinguishers, the full canister was covered in only one colour. Unlike today’s fire extinguishers that are all red with a coloured label, dry powder extinguishers would have been completely blue. It was only until 1997 that the extinguishers changed colours and for very good reasons.
One of the most obvious reasons for the change was that red is a much more prominent colour. So in the advent of a fire, where it may be dark, the colour red will stand out much more in a smoke filled room, than cream for example.
Another crucial reason for the change in colour was the association in people’s minds. Red is commonly known for being associated with danger and fire, so instead of using blue and cream, red sticks out in people’s minds much more.
There is, however, an exception to the all red rule: chrome extinguishers.
Chrome fire extinguishers function the same way as red fire extinguishers and vary only aesthetically. Chrome fire extinguishers are common in restaurants and hotels due to being made from stainless steel. They are especially good for outdoor areas due to being less affected by corrosion. Chrome extinguishers are in fact legal, however, they do not conform to British standards.
What do the fire extinguisher colours mean?
-
Red
Red fire extinguishers are by far the most common type of fire extinguishers. You can identify them by their red coloured label and they are known as ‘water extinguishers’. These types of extinguishers can be used on paper, cardboard, fabrics, wood and much more.
You may need a water extinguisher for buildings made from wood or buildings that store organic materials. The majority of buildings will need a water extinguisher, so make sure yours has one!
-
Cream
Fire extinguishers that have a cream label are known as ‘foam extinguishers’. These types of extinguishers are commonly used on Class B and Class A fires. You would typically use these types of fire extinguishers on paper, wood, coal, material and more.
It’s crucial not to use these extinguishers on kitchen fires or electrical fires. Similar to water extinguishers, you would use this extinguisher in schools, nurseries, hospitals, warehouses and more.
-
Blue
If you are in a situation where you need to deal with an electrical fire, you need a blue-labelled fire extinguisher. Blue-labelled, dry powder extinguishers, can be used on class A, B or C fires, however, make sure not to use them in enclosed spaces.
Dry powder fire extinguishers can be used on flammable liquids, flammable gases, electrical fires and much more.
-
Black
Black-labelled fire extinguishers are known as CO2 extinguishers. You can read our full blog on them here and find out everything you need to know. These types of fire extinguishers are commonly used in computer server rooms and can also put out Class B fires. CO2 fire extinguishers can be used on flammable liquids and on fires including electrical equipment. You can use this type of extinguisher in server rooms, buildings sites, office blocks and more.
-
Yellow
Yellow-labelled fire extinguishers are known wet chemical extinguishers and are used for Class F fires. Although they are primarily used on fires that involve cooking oils, you can also wet chemical extinguishers on Class A fires. You can use these extinguishers on chip pan/cooking fat fires, organic materials and much more. You should have one of these extinguishers if you work in a kitchen, restaurant or hospitality environment.
Summary
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the classes of fire and fire extinguisher colours.
We hope this gives you a solid foundation, so you can ensure the safety of your building, no matter the type of fire.
If you are looking for fire training, fire risk assessments or any other fire safety help, please get in touch with us!