City of Fort Myers, Florida
Teaching Preschoolers To Be Fire Safe

Used properly, a portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives.

Portable extinguishers for home use, however, are not designed to fight large or spreading fires. Even against small fires, they are useful only under certain conditions.

• The operator must know how to use the extinguisher. There is no time to read directions during an emergency.
• The extinguisher must be within easy reach an in working order, fully charged.
• The operator must have a clear escape route that will not be block by fire.
• The extinguisher must match the type of fire being fought. Extinguishers that contain water are unsuitable for use on grease or electrical fires.
• The extinguisher must be large enough to put out the fire. Many portable extinguishers discharge completely in as few as 8 to 10 seconds.

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  Choosing Your Extinguisher

  Fire extinguishers are tested by independent laboratories and labeled for the type and size of fire they can extinguish. Use these labels as a guide to purchase the kind of extinguisher that suits your needs.

  Classes of fires

  There are three basic classes of fires. All fire extinguishers are labeled using standard symbols for the classes of fires they can put out. A red slash through any of the symbols tells you the extinguisher cannot be used on that class of fire. A missing symbol tells you only that the extinguisher has not been tested for a given class of fire.

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  Last modified by LLP - Thursday, September 5 1996
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