Do we need extinguishers at all??

[Guest DeanM]

Hi,

I have been tasked with finding out where our company stands with regards to providing fire suppression i.e. extinguishers and the if in the event of a fire happening, using the said equipment. As I'm of the opinion that if you dont know what extinguisher to use you should not attempt to put out the fire, for risk of making things worse?

But the current CDM regs state that if the risk is there i.e. hot works (which our company does from time to time), then suitable controls need to be made.

Can you shed any light on this.

Regards

Dean

[Tom Sutton]

You are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and article 13 requires you to provide where necessary fire firefighting equipment also article 21 training how to use it.

[Guest Guest G]

Hi, Can anyone advise what extinguisher or extinguisher's are required for a boiler room? Many thanks

[Shawn Bosworth]

 

1 hour ago, Guest Guest G said:

Hi, Can anyone advise what extinguisher or extinguisher's are required for a boiler room? Many thanks

 

Hi, it depends on what risks are present in the boiler room, whether the boiler room is accessed from inside a building or if it is only accessible from an external entrance. Powder fire extinguishers are not recommended for indoor use but many extinguisher engineers will still recommend them for a boiler room that is accessed from an external door as it is the most versatile.

You should really have an extinguisher site survey performed on the premises as no-one can give you a reliable recommendation without seeing the site.

[Guest Guest G]

Thanks for your reply. It is accessed externally. If the engineer carried out a survey and advised to put a powder in there would he be right in doing so?

[AnthonyB]

You don't need Powder for a Boiler room as the British Standard only requires cover for gas fuelled fires where specialist personnel are available on site. Fighting a gas main or cylinder fire is extremely dangerous in itself, the resultant explosion risk from leaking gas after extinguishing the flame greater still.

Gas fires should only be tackled by means of cutting off the supply. Once done you no longer have a gas fuelled fire, so you don't need a Powder extinguisher. Really the only small fire safely fightable in a boiler room is in the control equipment, for which CO2 suits.

[Shawn Bosworth]

15 hours ago, Guest Guest G said:

Thanks for your reply. It is accessed externally. If the engineer carried out a survey and advised to put a powder in there would he be right in doing so?

As Anthony said, you don't need powder but engineers will often recommend them for externally accessed boiler rooms due to their knock down power and versatility.
At the end of the day, the engineer will recommend what he/she feels is the most appropriate extinguisher for the risks present.

[Guest Sam]

Hi, Would you recommend putting extinguishers in a hall which is used for parties/ weddings etc or would it be best to put them just outside the doors on the landing at the top of the stairs which lead to the hall?

Is it acceptable that there won't be any extinguishers in the hall and you will have to go through a door to get to them? The landing is on the same level. It's just the door between the landing area and the hall.

thank you

[Shawn Bosworth]

On 07/07/2017 at 10:34, Guest Sam said:

Hi, Would you recommend putting extinguishers in a hall which is used for parties/ weddings etc or would it be best to put them just outside the doors on the landing at the top of the stairs which lead to the hall?

Is it acceptable that there won't be any extinguishers in the hall and you will have to go through a door to get to them? The landing is on the same level. It's just the door between the landing area and the hall.

thank you

If there is more chance of the extinguishers being damaged/tampered with if they were located in the hall and as long as the travel distance is less than 30m from the furthest corner to the extinguisher location, then placing them on the landing outside the hall (on what I assume is the escape route) would be acceptable unless there is a specific risk in the hall that needs covering.

As always, a fire extinguisher site survey is the only way to be sure. 

[Tom Sutton]

It appear satisfactory providing you meet the following requirements. 

Fire extinguishers should be located in conspicuous positions on brackets, stands or cabinets, where they will be readily seen by persons following an escape route.

Most suitably, near to room exits, corridors, stairways, lobbies and landings.

I am assuming you will be using class A extinguishers, consequently you should not need to travel more than 30 m to reach them.