Fire Fighting Tips-Essential Things You Need To Know !

A few months back i woke up just to find out that storm water had entered into my apartment on the ground floor through the backdoor.Interestingly, its by lifting my mosquito net prior to stepping down that alerted me to the ominous danger that was before me.With storms around and the likelihood of electric faults and fires ,i am inspired to write this post on some basic firefighting tips and electricity.

A discussion on firefighting by necessity cannot begin without a discussion on the different types of fire extinguishers and the different classes of fires appropriate to each extinguisher(the website link provided has more information both visual and written on each...so for purposes of brevity i will not regurgitate the same!)

FIRE TYPES:
On a universal level fires are commonly classified into four types:

1. Class A Fires: This type of fires involve ordinary solid materials of organic materials such as  wood,paper,rubber,plastics,cardboards ...etc
2. Class B Fires:This type involves combustible liquids such as oil,kerosene,gasoline,organic solvents,paints,cooking fat...etc
3. Class C Fires: This type of fires are caused by Electricity
4. Class D Fires:This type involves combustible metals such as Aluminum,Magnesium,Potassium and other highly volatile metals that burn at high temperatures.

SAFETY TIPS CLASS C FIRES:

Generally the rule of thumbs for responding to any type of fire or electrical fault is call the emergency services first...if you are not an expert in the field do not attempt to deal with such faults without first consulting qualified emergency services.However due to the accidental nature of fires its important to keep in mind the following:

1. Try to contact the emergency services such as the police,fire department ,electrical services..first
2.  Evacuate the building as soon as possible
3. Switch off the electrical mains if you have access to the same without necessarily putting yourself at harms risk.
4. Stay low and avoid smoke, if on fire roll on the ground or use a wet blanket to cut off oxgen supply to the fire.
5. Wear shoes preferably rubber soled or gum boots if water is all around you and there is threat of electrical shock.
6. Do not handle metallic items with your bare hands.
7. Do not just use any extinguisher...especially wet extinguishers used for Class A Type fires.Read instructions on the extinguisher to see if it is compatible to the fire type.This type of fires are best extinguished by fire extinguishers containing Carbon Dioxide(CO2) 

The above tips are just a tip of the iceberg scrapped from various authoritative websites.Being prepared mentally for an emergency situation is a course of wisdom hence do your research in advance.Shop for appropriate fire extinguishers,keep them serviced with a reputable firm at least twice a year and keep safe it may just mean your life and that of many others.