Portable fire extinguishers VS mobile fire extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers are ubiquitous in workplaces, schools, accommodations, and public places. It is even strongly recommended to install them at home as well. Their ease of use, immediate availability, and effectiveness have certainly made them so popular. These extinguishers are intended for extinguishing small to medium-sized fires, such as those encountered daily (fires in private or professional kitchens, electrical cabinet fires, for example).
Furthermore, there are also fire extinguishers with a larger capacity, known as wheeled fire extinguishers. These are more voluminous, and therefore heavier, containers mounted on wheeled supports. They allow intervention on more significant risks than portable extinguishers (parking lots, flammable material storage areas in industrial environments, etc.).
Several classes of fire extinguishers exist, depending on the nature of the fires they are intended for. The following table shows the different classes of fires encountered, as well as the type of extinguisher to use to control them:
Fire Class | Symbol | Flammable Materials | Examples | Extinguishing Agent |
A |
| Non-melting solid substances | Paper, wood, textiles, packaging, etc. | Water, foam, AFFF foam, ABC powder |
B |
| Melting liquids and solid substances | Solvents, oil, gasoline, wax, grease, plastics, lithium batteries, etc. | Foam, AFFF foam, BC powder, ABC powder, CO2 |
C |
| Gases | Solvents, oil, gasoline, wax, grease, plastics, lithium batteries, etc. | BC powder, ABC powder |
D |
| Metals | Aluminum, sodium, magnesium | D powder (metal fire powder) |
E |
| Fire in or on electrical equipment | Computers, telephone switchboards, electrical cabinets | CO2 |
F |
| Fats | Cooking oil, vegetable and animal fats | Grease fire extinguisher, AFFF foam |
Table 1: Fire Classes and Extinguishers to Use for Control (According to: protectionincendieshop.be)
The correspondence between the fire to be extinguished and the type of extinguisher to be used is essential. Indeed, the different types of extinguishers on the market have technologies of very different natures that do not allow them to be used universally. To avoid any further incident related to a fire, it is therefore necessary to use an extinguisher adapted to the nature of the fire to be extinguished.
Portable and wheeled fire extinguishers must bear the CE marking provided for by the directive on pressure equipment.
Contrary to what most consumers think, this CE marking does not attest to the extinguishing performance of the device. It only serves to guarantee a minimum safety of pressure resistance to allow its free circulation within the European Union.
This is why the BENOR certification of fire extinguishers remains the reference for obtaining guarantees of extinguishing performance. This certification is obtained after tests are carried out on the extinguishers. These tests are carried out in practical situations as described in the previous table, according to requirements established by the standards in force.
For the purpose of their certification, the ANPI laboratories carry out tests on portable and wheeled fire extinguishers according to the following standards:
- NBN EN 3-5 - Portable fire extinguishers - Part 5: Complementary specifications and tests
- NBN EN 3-7 - Portable fire extinguishers - Part 7: Characteristics, performance, requirements and test methods
- NBN EN 1866-1 1 - Wheeled fire extinguishers - Part 1: Characteristics, performance and test methods
NEN 2033 - Draagbare blustoestellen voor brandklasse D
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