Having a fire extinguisher in your home, workplace and organization is as important as placement. When your fire extinguisher is not well places, its objective may be defeated.
Consider having a fire extinguisher in your home but its dump in the wardrobe, or dropping it behind your cooker in the kitchen, or hanging it behind storage racks; all these are very poor placement for portable fire extinguishers.
So in this article, we will consider Best Places to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in your homes, kitchen or workplace.
Best Places to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Homes and Workplace
Lets consider the best places to keep a fire extinguisher;
Best Places to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Homes
Ensuring that fire extinguishers are strategically placed throughout your home is crucial for effective fire safety. Here are seven key locations to consider for placing fire extinguishers:
1. Kitchen
The kitchen is a high-risk area for fires due to cooking activities. Mount a fire extinguisher in a visible and easily accessible location, away from the stove but within reach.
2. Garage
Flammable materials, tools, and electrical equipment or usually placed in the garage and pose potential fire hazards. Keep a fire extinguisher near the garage exit for quick response.
3. Near Bedrooms:
Place fire extinguishers in or near bedroom areas to ensure quick access during the night. This is essential as fires can occur at any time, and quick response is critical. If you are placing it near the bedroom, let it be close to the exit.
4. Laundry Room:
Dryers, washing machine and other electrical appliances in the laundry room can be fire risks. Also we may use our irons in the laundry room also, this is why you need to install a fire extinguisher nearby to address potential issues promptly. Same as in the room, I will recommend it to be installed near the exit.
5. Living Room or Common Area:
Fires may occur due to electrical issues or accidents in living rooms or common areas. Having a fire extinguisher in these spaces ensures quick intervention.
6. Hallways and Staircases:
Install fire extinguishers in central locations such as hallways or at the top and bottom of staircases. This ensures that they are easily accessible from various parts of the house in case of fire emergency.
7. Home Office:
If you have a home office with electronic equipment, consider placing a fire extinguisher nearby. Electrical fires can start from overloaded power strips or malfunctioning equipment. Also place it at an accessible location, it should be within reach and close to the exit.
Best Places to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in the Workplace
Here are some guide for the best locations to keep fire extinguishers in the workplace:
1. Near Exits:
Place fire extinguishers near exits and escape routes to ensure easy access in case employees need to evacuate. It could be external exit, staircase, office exit, etc. This will serve as a perfect location to ensure safety while attending to fire emergencies.
2. High-Risk Areas:
From your risk assessment you will easily identify high risk areas. The high risk areas in this context are areas where fires are more likely to occur, such as kitchens, laboratories, or areas with electrical equipment. Install fire extinguishers in close proximity to these areas. The level of risk will also determine the type of extinguisher to install and the size.
3. Equipment Rooms:
If there are specific rooms with electrical equipment, machinery, or other potential fire hazards, consider placing fire extinguishers within reach in those locations.
4. Power Generating Rooms:
Power generating room is a location that shouldn’t be ignored. Its a very high risk area.
5. In Parking Garages:
If your workplace includes parking garages, consider placing fire extinguishers at strategic points in these areas.
6. Near Electrical Panels:
Install fire extinguishers near electrical panels or rooms containing electrical equipment since electrical fires are a common workplace hazard.
8. Data Centers
Numerous expensive and delicate pieces of equipment found in data centers must be kept safe from fire. The Data Center needs a fire extinguisher to keep priceless assets like data and equipment from being harmed or destroyed. Another safety measure for those working in the data center is fire extinguishers.
Fire Extinguisher Installation Requirements
According to OSHA, to prevent fire extinguishers from being moved or damaged, they should be mounted on brackets or in wall cabinets with their carrying handles placed 3-1/2 to 5 feet above the floor, depending on the type of extinguisher. Those with gross weights of no more than 40 pounds (lbs.) should be mounted with their carrying handles no higher than 5 feet from the floor.
Larger fire extinguishers (over 40 lbs. gross weight) need to be mounted at lower heights, with their carrying handles no more than 3-1/2 feet from the floor. All hand-portable fire extinguishers need to have at least 4 inches of clearance between their bottoms and the floor.
Before installing any portable fire extinguisher, check the label to be sure it is approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. [29 CFR 1910.157(c)(2)]
Also NFPA 10 addresses extinguisher placement it uses the term “maximum travel distance to extinguisher”. This means that at any point inside the building you should never have to travel more than the maximum distance to reach an extinguisher. It is important to ensure the distance being measured is the actual distance a person would need to walk to get the extinguisher and that occupants are not expected to walk through walls.
Importance of Choosing a good placement for your Fire Extinguisher
- Best placement for Fire extinguishers enhances easy accessibility during fire emergency. It should not be so far away and not obstructed by anything.
- It enhance visibility. A fire extinguisher that is hidden or obscured by other objects is of no use in an emergency, this is why good placement is important.
In conclusion, aside from considering the “Best Places to Keep a Fire Extinguisher“, you should also always follow local fire safety codes and regulations when determining the placement of fire extinguishers in the workplace. Additionally, regularly inspect and maintain fire extinguishers to ensure they are in proper working condition. It is also important to provide proper training to employees on how to use fire extinguishers safely and effectively.
Remember to choose fire extinguishers suitable for different types of fires (ABC multipurpose extinguishers are common) and to regularly inspect and maintain them. Also, ensure that everyone in the household knows how to use a fire extinguisher and understands the importance of fire safety measures.
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