According to guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, businesses are required to have a fire extinguisher strategically located in the workplace for use in the event of a fire. Employers are also responsible for making sure their staff receives proper training on fire safety and the use of a fire extinguisher. If you need to update your fire safety equipment or need to know how to use it, here’s some additional information on this essential fire safety supply.

Why Employees Need Fire Extinguisher Training

Fire extinguishers are essential to helping fight small fires in the workplace or as a means to protect evacuation routes during large blazes. When your employees know how to correctly use the apparatus, it helps them develop confidence in emergency situations. They can respond quicker and diffuse the fire at its source to stop it from spreading. They will also be more effective if they know how to hold and aim it correctly, too, reducing the risk of injury to themselves and others.

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

When faced with a fire in the workplace, the first thing to do is to sound the fire alarm and call for help. A trained employee should then select the right extinguisher and discharge it using the P.A.S.S technique.

• Pull: Pull the pin. The pin is designed with a tamper seal that should break easily once pulled and activated.

• Aim: Aim the hose and nozzle of the extinguisher directly at the source of the fire, where the item on fire is burning and not at the top or middle of the flames

• Squeeze: Squeeze the handle. This will discharge the extinguishing material. Avoiding touching the extinguisher at the horn, which may become so cold from carbon dioxide that it can damage skin.

• Sweep: Sweep the fire extinguisher from one side of the fire to the other until the fire goes out completely, but watch for reignition and continue the process if necessary.

Ensure your employees also know that if the fire extinguisher runs out before the fire is put out, they should immediately evacuate the area or building.

If you're looking for fire extinguishers for your office, Fire Protection Specialists is the company to call. This Bangor, WI, business offers a wide range of fire safety equipment and maintenance services. They handle everything from design to sales to installation, so whether you need an entire fire safety design for your building or just to update your fire safety equipment, they will help. Give them a call at (800) 658-9463 or check out their website for more information.