My Safety Shop for all your Fire Equipment - DCP Fire Exstinguishers

Fire Extinguishers as equipment may be small, but they are one of the most important components for home and workplace safety. Not only can they save lives, but they can prevent significant damage.

However, it is still imperative to ensure that there are other mechanisms in place such as smoke detectors, where applicable, and an effective and well-proven evacuation plan.

During  Extinguishing, it is crucial to ensure that everyone in the building has exited and that the fire department has been contacted. Once this has been done, the  extinguisher can be used to address the fire.

There are several steps involved in effective fire safety and fire management, make sure that you are familiar with your firefighter equipment and with the safe operation of a extinguisher before you attempt to use one.

• Make sure that your back is towards a safe exit.
• Make sure that the fire is contained to one area, if it spreads to other areas, retreat from the room to avoid the fire surrounding you.
• Beware of smoke, if the room becomes too smoky to the point where you cannot see or breathe, retreat through the exit.

While extinguishers can be useful to smother small fires before they start, they can be dangerous in inexperienced hands. Make sure that the right fire extinguisher is used for the application at hand.

Classes of Fire and Fire Extinguishers

There are six different classes of fires:

• Class A - which is ordinary solid combustible materials such as paper, cloth, some plastics, wood, and others.
• Class B - which is flammable liquids such as alcohol, oil, petrol, grease, and others.
• Class C - which includes flammable gases such as methane and others.
• Class D - includes certain flammable metallic substances including sodium and potassium.
• Fires that are caused by Electrical Equipment, which is indicated by an electrical spark symbol and not the letter E. However, reference is often made to it as Class E.
• Class F - fats and cooking oils.

The types of fire extinguishers are as follow:

• Type A - which is pressurized water that can only be used on Class A fires.
• Type ABC - which is a dry chemical powder that can be used on all fire classes.
• Type BC - which involved carbon dioxide which is specifically used on chemical and/or electrical fires.
• Type K - which is used in kitchens where there are grease fires.

 

All you need to know about DCP Fire Extinguishers

Dry Chemical Powder  Extinguishers, more commonly known just as DCP  Extinguishers, are one of the most common types of firefighting equipment on the market. Because of the high demand and their versatility, they are affordable and can be used for a wide range of fire classes.

How do dry chemical powder fire extinguishers work?

The only way to effectively stop a fire is by removing one or more of the elements thereof, heat, fuel, and/or oxygen. DCP fire extinguishers use a chemical power called mono ammonium phosphate. 

This powder can melt and flow once it is heated, allowing it to coat the fuel and subsequently extinguish the fire, especially where Class A and electrical fires are concerned.

Where Class B fires are concerned, the powder smothers the surface which will stop the fire by preventing the vapor, or fuel, from escaping. Flammable liquid fires do not store much heat and for this purpose, DCP fire extinguishers are not always effective as the power cannot melt.

Pros and Cons

PROS	CONS
Versatile as it can be used on different types of fires	The clean-up process can be labour-intensive because of the powder
Powerful and can extinguish fires quickly	The dust from the powder can affect sensitive equipment
They are portable and can be moved around with ease	Visibility can be reduced because of the power
Cost-effective and widely available	Needs routine maintenance and inspection
Wide variety of sizes and ratings	May cause respiratory issues
Safe and easy to use

SafetyWallet is the one-stop-shop for all your DCP Fire Extinguishers

Not only does the SafetyWallet Shop offer a wide range of DCP  Extinguishers at competitive and affordable prices, but SafetyWallet subscribers can qualify for a discount on all products.

The SafetyShop features the following DCP Fire Extinguishers for sale:

• 5Kg DCP - STP
• 5Kg DCP - STP
• 9Kg DCP - STP 
• Backboards
• J-Brackets
• Gauge for a 9Kg DCP extinguisher
• Steel extinguisher cabinets - 4.5kg and 9kg
• Extinguisher covers PVC UV - 4.5kg

These products and related services are available from My Safety Shop for all non-SafetyWallet Subscribers.

You can now download your Fire Extinghuisher Inspection Checklist on the My Safety Sho. Click here to Download.

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FAQ

On which fires can dry chemical powder fire extinguishers be used?

DCP fire extinguishers can be used on A, B, and Electrical type fires.

 

What should you know when you use a portable fire extinguisher?

You must be sure that you are trained, know what type of material is burning, and know which type of fire extinguisher to use.

 

When should I remove a fire extinguisher from service?

When the cylinder or shell threads show damage, when the canister is corroded, or when the extinguisher has been exposed to extreme heat or burned in a fire.