SAFETY SOLUTIONS: Worksite Fire Emergencies

I was teaching an OSHA course at the University of California San Diego, OSHA Training Institute and was asking questions of my students about fire prevention and the use of fire extinguishers and also about their emergency evacuation plans and found that many of the students did not know the various classes of fire extinguishers.

I then asked them if they had an emergency evacuation plan for their homes and also one to protect their family? Many of the safety professionals and other students attending the class that day responded that they did not have one. Many also lived in homes that were more than one story high and they did not have an emergency escape ladder to get out of the house in the event of a fire.

If the worst should happen and a fire did break out at your worksite or home would you know what to do? Knowing what to do and how to react in a fire emergency can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Your First Move

Many small and self-contained fires can be safely extinguished on the spot. However, if you have any doubt as to the seriousness of the fire sound the fire alarm immediately and begin evacuating the building. Know where fire alarm boxes are located throughout your workplace, learn your company’s evacuation procedures, and know the locations of established escape routes. Have this information prominently located for everyone to see.

Fighting Small Fires

If you are certain that a small or self-contained fire does not pose an immediate threat to you, your coworkers or the surrounding area, you may be able to put it out with the appropriate extinguisher. There are many varieties of fire extinguishers, but each is rated according to type or types of fires that it can put out. Before you use an extinguisher, check to see if it is rated for the type of fire that you are confronting: this information must be prominently listed on the extinguisher itself. Please don’t wait for a fire to start to learn where fire extinguishers are located and what ratings they carry. And, before you find yourself in a fire emergency, take a moment to learn the four basic types of fires.

Four Types Of Fires

Type A: Wood, paper, cloth, rubbish, etc. or “ASH” type fires
Type B: Flammable gas, liquids, (like oil and grease, paint etc.)
Type C: Electrical fires
Type D: Combustible metals

Your safety and your family’s safety is first. If you have a fire extinguisher at home, please make sure that you have the right extinguisher and everyone knows how to use it. If you are in doubt about the seriousness of any fire, don’t hesitate, call 911 and evacuate the area.

Until next month stay safe.

For more information, click on the author biography at the top of the page.