Fire extinguisher code

[allornothing]

Dear collaegues,

I am giving fire marshal training as part of my day job, and am racking my brains trying to think of easy memory aid for my audience.

Has anybody out there got any ideas or anything I could use please?

F is easy because it's Fats n oils
E - Electricity.

But my audience need something just as easy to remember for A to D

All ideas appreciated,

Regards,

Phil

[Chris Houston]

Will you audience be fighting burning metal fires?

[AnthonyB]

Although the EN2 Fire Classifications are still in use (ABC plus UK's recent addition F) most emphasis should be on pictograms - the majority of extinguishers in use in the larger organised workplaces that actually do training are now EN3 models and focus on the pictograms rather than classification letters or colour codes (plus pre-EN3 kit from Chubb & distributors of UK Fire Britannia kit had already used pictograms for some years)

Lay persons descriptions for the symbols to aid comprehension on our courses have included:
Class A is a 'burning long fire/Scouts campfire'
Class B is a 'burning army jerrycan'
Class C is a 'gas hob' (although it has also been likened to a bed pan or a birthday cake for a very old person!)
Class D has no symbol, some manufacturers have used  their own symbol - either an ingot branded 'metal' or two grinding cogs with shavings flying off
Class E doesn't exist anymore, but non conductive extinguishing agents have a 'bolt of lightning'
Class F is a 'frying pan'

Concentrate on the symbols instead - as well as there use on Powerpoint, for group exercises we have cards with the symbols on, with the media on & extinguishers with colour bands on and the groups have to match them correctly.

The Class letters don't really lend themselves well to aide memiors other than F for Fat & E for Electricity....
A for ?
B for Benzine
C for Calor Gas
D for ?

I wouldn't worry about class D either unless there is that risk in your workplace - it confuses - just like I don't bother mentioning the different classes of powder unless relevant to the group.

[Tom Sutton]

Try http://www.firesafe.org.uk/html/fsequip/exting.htm may be of some use.

[Clevelandfire]

Class E never existed

[DaveM]

Quite right Clevelandfire, there has never been a Class "E".  You can have Fire's involving Electricity, where the electricity is the ignition or heat source to other fuels, but no Electrical Fire!!  I would suggest you get them to remember the symbols and the colour coding as that is the purpose of them being on there in the first place, and is best practice regarding safety.



Keep living the Dream

[AnthonyB]

Class E was never an official class although it was used by some parts of the UK Fire extinguisher industry in the 70's & 80's, as you correctly say electricity doesn't burn!

You need to be careful with Class Letters as well as some US imported aerosol extinguishers and a lot of training resources on the web that you may 'borrow' to compile presentations from will use the North American classification scheme:
Class A - solids
Class B - liquids
Class C - energised electrical equipment
Class D - metal fires
Class K - cooking oils

So the best consensus is to go for the pictograms and 5% colour coding in training

[cbfire999]

I don't wish to appear rude, but I have run loads of these courses and the vast majority of candidates are more than capable of being able to work out the pictograms highlighted on all of the extinguishers.  I presume that all of your candidates are offered the opportunity to use the extinguishers talked about during your courses?

[jasper]

I dont think he wants the technical side just the same remembering principal as ''Richard of York gained battle in vain''

[allornothing]

thank you Jasper, spot on.

cbfire, it isn't about the pictorgrams. it is about creating a mental image. Word association etc. From experience, ask a candidate a question on something you have told them 6 months after a course, they will mostly not remember the details. Give them a mental picture, and they mostly will.

The same problem can lie with what extinguisher to use on what class of fire.

Thanks all the same though guys.
Phil

[v-rod]

I was told this one many years ago.

A Solid can
B Liquid when you
C gasses from
D metals.

A solid can be liquid when you see gasses from dee metals.
I know it misses the 'flammamble', but it helps with remembering the groups.
Then again it was over 22 years ago.

Hope it helps.

[MC]

I thought Class C looked like a Burger Box lol

[The Reiver]

I was told this one many years ago.

A Solid can
B Liquid when you
C gasses from
D metals.

A solid can be liquid when you see gasses from dee metals.
I know it misses the 'flammamble', but it helps with remembering the groups.
Then again it was over 22 years ago.

Hope it helps.

Where do you put the "F in" then

[Tom Sutton]

Between the A and solid but I cannot say anymore Chris would have me banned.

[Dragonmaster]

Sorry about the F in extinguisher!