Portable fire extinguishers

Il s’avère important de pouvoir procéder à l’extinction d’un incendie naissant dès son apparition. Ceci permet d’éviter la propagation du brasier et assure une évacuation sécuritaire des lieux pour les occupants. La présence d’extincteurs portatifs d’incendie dans vos espaces offre aux occupants un outil efficace pour combattre de petits feux. De façon très sommaire, on devrait pouvoir atteindre un extincteur portatif d’incendie sans devoir parcourir une distance de plus de 22 m (75 pieds). Il est obligatoire d’équiper les bâtiments et donc vos locaux d’un ou de plusieurs extincteurs portatifs selon le cas.

It is important to be able to put out a fire as soon as it starts. This keeps the fire from spreading, and occupants can evacuate the building safely. Portable fire extinguishers in the hallways and near technical facilities provide occupants with an effective tool for fighting small fires. As a very general guideline, you should be able to reach a portable fire extinguisher within a distance of 22m (75 feet). It is mandatory to have one or more portable extinguishers in a building - and in your industrial facility.

Use and maintenance

Portable fire extinguishers are only useful if people know how to use them. Directions are printed on the extinguisher. Generally, in an emergency, you should grasp the extinguisher by the handle and carefully approach the flames. Place the extinguisher on the floor to remove the safety valve. Lift the extinguisher and direct the nozzle to the base of the flames. Press on the handle to release the extinguishing product. It is important, when spraying the product, to move the nozzle in a side-to-side sweeping motion to make sure it is sprayed evenly across the combustible surface. 

A specialist should come once a year to inspect your portable extinguishers. He or she will be able to make sure your extinguishers are working properly. As an occupant of the premises, you are responsible for making sure your extinguisher works correctly. It is essential to your safety. It's easy to take a look at it once a day to make sure it is on its stand, undamaged and that manometre pressure is correct.

Sources of heat and open flames

Identification and location

The tools, devices and machines used to produce your merchandise are often heat sources that can create flames of variable intensity, depending on the process. Frequently, these heat sources are involved in fires that occur in industrial settings. Good disaster management practices stipulate that these sources of heat be located and clearly identified throughout the production area.

Control and clearance

Since you know which devices are heat sources and where they are located in the facility, it is easy for you to control how dangerous they are. Measures can be taken to ensure proper clearance from combustible materials, mainly using steel guards, keeping a safe distance, and taking measures to attenuate or eliminate the heat source when possible.