There is a plethora of fire safety devices in the market today. Even so, water fire extinguishers remain as some of the most popular firefighting tools because of their simplicity in terms of content, operation, and servicing. This type of extinguisher covers Class A fires such as those that involve ordinary combustible materials like wood, paper, cloth, cardboard, and furnishings. Because these extinguishers are simple to use and maintain, many business owners prefer this type of firefighting tools. However, due to some of its limitations, you have to determine first if a water extinguisher is suitable for the type of business that you have.

Types of Businesses that can Use a Water Extinguisher

Water fire extinguishers are ideal for most homes but what about for businesses? The basic rule here is to look at what your business does and determine the fire risks involved. As mentioned earlier, these fire safety devices tackle fires caused by burning wood, paper, cloth, cardboard and other similar items. If your business is equipped with such items, the water extinguisher can be your best defense against small incipient fires. Hotels, offices, schools, nursing homes, salons, furniture outlets, clothing shops, retail stores, and shopping centers can be equipped with this type of extinguisher.

Of course, while water fire extinguishers can cover a wide variety of fire involving solid items, it is important to note that they should not be used for fighting electrical fires as this cause electrocution. This means that a business should also be equipped with C02 fire extinguishers for fires caused by electrical equipment. Other types of businesses particularly those that handle flammable items should be equipped with other types of extinguishers. For example, restaurants should have wet chemical extinguishers for the kitchen as these devices fight off cooking oil and grease fires. Auto mechanic shops and garage workshops meanwhile would be better off with powder fire extinguisher that can put out fires caused by flammable liquids and gases. Businesses with multiple risk areas would be safer with wheeled fire extinguishers.

Buying Water Fire Extinguishers

When buying a water fire extinguisher, the first thing you need to do is to ensure the product’s quality. Opt for a reputable manufacturer and choose extinguishers that come with genuine BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) certification, BSi Kitemark, BS EN3 and CE Mark. See to it that the extinguisher has a manufacturer’s warranty of at least 5 years. If you are going to buy online, you also have to think of other things such as security of the online store, customer feedback, and thorough understanding of the store’s terms and conditions.

Water fire extinguishers are still popular among many home and business owners. However, it is essential to remember that there are some fires that cannot be put out by this type of extinguisher such as grease and electrical fire. If your business involves the use of ordinary solid materials like wood, paper, and clothing, water fire extinguishers are ideal for you. However, for other types of businesses like restaurants, industrial companies, auto mechanic shops and so on, you have to make use of other types of extinguishers.