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Life Safety

This page is concerned with Life Safety items with a key area of importance being Manual Fire Extinguishers. Following is an article that illustrates the importance of their maintenance and use.

Manual Fire Extinguisher

P.A.S.S. It On!

In July of 2004, over 100 customers and employees lost their lives in a South America-based supermarket. The cause - a fire originating in the deep-fat fryer cooking area. These deaths could have been prevented if proper automatic fire extinguishing systems were in place, exhaust hoods were cleaned professionally on a quarterly basis, and evacuation procedures had been established with documented quarterly drills as well as having Manual Fire Extinguishers. Alarmingly, a simple consultation on the proper use and placement of manual fire extinguishers may have been all that was needed to prevent this tragedy.

While horrifying, this loss is not surprising to the associates of TAG Insurance Services. Employees working in either large supermarket chains or privately-owned bar and grills from Phoenix to Fairbanks, typically are not trained in fire extinguisher use. When asked, an estimated 95% of employees do not know how to properly use a fire extinguisher. And those working near grease frying equipment do not know the difference between a Class K (chrome colored) manual fire extinguisher, used specifically for grease fires, and a standard red ABC extinguisher.

P.A.S.S. is the acronym TAG Associates use when consulting in the proper extinguisher use:

P – Pull the pin,
A – Aim the hose at the base of the fire,
S – Squeeze the trigger, and
S – Sweep the chemical at the base of the fire.

All new and existing employees should be taught this acronym, with training documentation maintained. Businesses should invite local fire department personnel to offer hands-on extinguisher training (typically a free business service offered through your local fire department), especially those with high-hazard occupancies. Additionally, all employees should be accountable for fire safety, i.e., report missing extinguishers and/or those that aren’t hung, as well as disabled extinguishers with pins missing.

Quick and simple fire extinguisher training will create an awareness that could someday save lives and thousands of dollars in property loss. So P.A.S.S. the word on to your coworkers, managers, and clients!