Fires pose a threat to most buildings, and especially those that house a restaurant, or industrially sized kitchen of some sort. Indeed, fires in restaurants and other types of dining establishments tend to cause an annual average of $246 million in property damages, and about 57% of restaurant fires involve cooking equipment of some sort. With over 8,000 kitchen fires being reported annually, it really is a wonder that fire extinguisher services are not more universal across the board — along with education on how to deal with it.

Most people don’t know much about the anatomy and operation of a fire extinguisher. Check out the following guide to a tool that just may save your building, and maybe your life:

First, fire basics: fire is the result of a chemical reaction, a combustion that takes place between oxygen in the atmosphere and some sort of fuel, like wood or gasoline. The fuel has to be heated to it’s ignition temperature in order for this reaction to take place.

Fire extinguishers are designed to remove one of the three elements that can combine to cause a fire — extreme heat, fuel, and oxygen. Usually, fire extinguishers are filled with water or a smothering material, which is then expelled at a very high pressure when the lever at the top of the cylinder is depressed.

There are many types of extinguishers out there — the most commonly used one is a water extinguisher, which is used to put out things like burning wood, paper, or cardboard. However, it won’t work so well on electrical fires, or even fires involving flammable liquids.

One other material that is particularly popular as an extinguisher material is pure carbon dioxide, which is kept pressured in the cylinder. It is heavier than oxygen, and therefore is able to expand and displace the oxygen surrounding the burning fuel.

One thing is for sure — you need fire protection and fire extinguisher inspections in your establishment to ensure the saftey of everyone around you. Fire extinguisher recharge services are also helpful — a fire extinguisher recharge will guarantee that your cylinders are full and operational. Check out this website for more. Read this website for more information.