Nursing homes, assisted living communities, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are required to provide a sufficient number of fire extinguishers throughout each building. This is to be accordance with fire safety codes and legal regulations. It is also required that employees within healthcare facilities are aware of how to correctly and safely use fire extinguishers so that they can be used in case of an emergency.
There are three main classes of fire and a variety of different types of fire extinguishers. The type of fire extinguisher regularly installed in healthcare facilities is designed to extinguish each common class of fire. The three main classes of fire, that are more common than other fires in healthcare facilities are as follows:
- Class A Fire. This is a fire of common combustible items. These include things such as wood, paper, some plastics and cloth.
- Class B Fire. A Class B Fire is created / fuelled by flammable liquids. These flammable liquids include things like grease, cooking oils or gasoline for example.
- Class C Fire. A Class C Fire is an electrical fire. This class covers are fire supported by electricity.
For the safety and protection of people within healthcare buildings, the multipurpose ABC type fire extinguishers will often be installed. This is because they are multi-use, which means they can be used to extinguish the three stated common classifications of fire for a healthcare facility.
Generally speaking, is a hospital was likely to experience a fire, it would be a similar experience as a standard office building fire. However, due to the amount of sensitive and lifesaving equipment present, and the patients in the building using an ABS chemical fire extinguisher may not be the best option. Especially if some of the patients have low or weakened immune systems. In which case, the best fire extinguisher may be a water mist fire extinguisher. This will put out the fire without the risk of equipment being damaged.
Every healthcare facility is different. This is why out healthcare fire safety specialists will visit your facility or building. They will take the time to understand your needs and the sorts of people you treat. Based on this, they will recommend the best fire extinguishers for your healthcare premises.
