Happy 4th of July!
But remember, there's 'fire' in 'fireworks.' Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher?
In celebrating our country’s birthday, many Americans happily put volatile fireworks into the hands of small children and drunk adults.
Just for a moment, I’d like to dampen this patriotic jubilance with a primer on the proper handling of a fire extinguisher. There’s an easy mnemonic that’s especially handy if you are your friend is lit up while also lighting fireworks.
P.A.S.S.
PULL... Pull the pin. This will also break the tamper seal.
AIM... Aim low, pointing the extinguisher nozzle (or its horn or hose) at the base of the fire.
NOTE: Do not touch the plastic discharge nozzle on CO2 extinguishers. It gets very cold and may damage skin.
SQUEEZE... Squeeze the handle to release the extinguishing agent.
SWEEP... Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire until it appears to be out. Watch the area. If the fire re-ignites, repeat steps 2 - 4.
Obviously, if the fire is too large and/or is rapidly spreading, evacuate immediately.
At our house, we have two fire extinguishers. One is in a cabinet under the kitchen sink because stove and oven fires are a common cause of house fires. The other extinguisher is in the basement because we have a lot of paint and solvents down there that are flammable and/or combustible. (There is a difference between flammable and combustible, but I won’t go into the etymology because it’s a holiday. I’m doubtful that either of my Substack readers have made it this far down in my post anyway.)
Both of my fire extinguishers are pretty small, so they wouldn’t be effective against a big blaze. I’m not competent enough to fight a big blaze because I can’t even clip my cats’ claws. Instead, I have to drive Jam and Butters 30 minutes to the vet, and even when they’re drugged, they poop in the crate.
Anyway, I bought small fire extinguishers because they’re light and would be easy for me to handle. The squeeze trigger used to discharge the flame retardant fits nicely in my hand. If I ever needed to use it, I would first yank out the plastic clamp that keeps the extinguisher from discharging accidentally. Then I’m ready to P.A.S.S.
Fire extinguishers are available at your local hardware store. Some may work differently than what’s described above, but the packaging will walk you through proper usage.
Note: The pressure valve on the fire extinguisher is important and should be checked a couple of times a year. You want the needle to be in the green zone. The red zone indicates low pressure and/or low levels of retardant. The white zone means it’s time to replace your fire extinguisher because it has lost its spraying power. (Like if Spider-Man thrust out his wrists and the web goo just dribbled down his fingertips.)
I once set a tortilla on fire in a toaster oven. I didn’t figure out that you have to remove a plastic cap to get to the pin until I had calmed my panic and read the directions, long after the tortilla was ashes and all that was left was smoke. It may be helpful, when you check your fire extinguisher, to review the directions, since panic makes that very difficult! Great article!
Great info for everyone!