Good day readers, it’s the mid-week and so far my week has been going smoothly not too stressful so far. How has your week been?
Well to start off the day, I have an important piece of information to leave with you as you launch into the second half of this promising week.
As we all know, fire is a very tragic occurrence; it’s something that can happen by mere omission or negligence.
It is very important that we have some knowledge about fighting a fire and learn to keep as calm as possible during a fire occurrence even though it is very difficult to keep calm.
I personally, have had a lot of home fire occurrences and trust me, being in charge and trying to stay focused during a fire is very helpful. When I say focused I mean focusing on extinguishing the fire as opposed to going into a panic attack. When you go into a panic attack, the fire overwhelms you.
You can stop a fire in three ways. They are:

Starvation- Removing materials that are yet to be burnt by a raging fire or isolating it.

Cooling- Removing heat content from burning materials.

Smothering- Cutting off oxygen which aids combustion or a major part of it.
It is very important to have fire extinguishers in our homes, offices and also in our cars; a fire can occur anywhere.

Here are four common types of portable fire extinguishers that can be used in your home at incipient stages, they are;
• Water extinguishers- Water extinguishers are filled with water and are typically pressurized with air. These extinguishers can be very dangerous in the wrong type of situation. They are not very effective on grease fires. Only fight the fire if you’re certain it contains ordinary combustible materials only.

• Carbon dioxide (Co2) fire extinguisher-They contain carbon dioxide, a non-flammable gas, and are highly pressurized. They don’t work very well on class A fires(ie fires containing combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics) because they may not be able to displace enough oxygen to put the fire out, causing it to re-ignite.

• Foam extinguisher (mechanical and chemical types)-These produces foam which follows down on burning liquid and forms a blanketing layer, It extinguishes the fire by cutting off the oxygen. It should also be recharged immediately after use.
• Dry chemical powder fire extinguisher-These are filled with foam or powder and pressurized with nitrogen. Dry chemical extinguishers have an advantage over CO2 extinguishers since they leave a non-flammable substance on the extinguished material, reducing the likelihood of re-ignition.

HOW TO OPERATE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER

Pull the Pin at the top of the extinguisher. The pin releases a locking mechanism and will allow you to discharge the extinguisher.
Aim at the base of the fire, not the flames. This is important in order to put out the fire, you must extinguish the fuel.
Squeeze the lever slowly. This will release the extinguishing agent in the extinguisher. If the handle is released, the discharge will stop.
Sweep from side to side. Using a sweeping motion, move the fire extinguisher back and forth until the fire is completely out. Operate the extinguisher from a safe distance, several feet away, and then move towards the fire once it starts to diminish. Be sure to read the instructions on your fire extinguisher as different fire extinguishers recommend operating them from different distances. Remember: Aim at the base of the fire, not at the flames!!!!

Once the fire is out, do not walk away watch the area for a few minutes in case it re-ignites. Recharge the extinguisher immediately after use.
Fire extinguishers can be purchased from some of our departmental stores or shopping malls.
In summary these are the actions you should take during a fire;
– Raise an alarm to attract the attention of others
-Attack the fire with the appropriate extinguisher without taking any risk
– Do not panic
– Do not pull or push others
-Evacuate the building
-Take a roll call
Please people; let’s not forget to take caution always. Ensure to take the necessary precautions most especially in the kitchen. Have a safe week.
Cheers.