Impress your friends and enemies with these little-known fire extinguisher facts from our Orlando commercial fire extinguisher inspection experts.

You know what they say about fire extinguisher inspectors – they’re dashing, brave, and have the best extinguisher facts around. Our Orlando commercial fire extinguisher inspection team killed some time in a Friday afternoon meeting putting these together for you, so we hope you enjoy.

Extinguisher Facts You Didn’t Know

Fire extinguishers came to the scene in the Middle Ages

The ancestor to the modern fire extinguisher appeared in the Middle Ages, but it wasn’t quite what we have today. These devices operated like bicycle pumps and were called ‘squirts’ because that was the best they could come up with back then. 

To be used, the nozzles were dipped into water, which could be sucked into the device using its plunger. The nozzle was then aimed at a fire, and the plunger was pushed in to eject the water. There is a recorded use of squirts in the 1666 Great Fire of London.

The more modern portable fire extinguisher was invented in 1819 by Captain George William Manby and was a 3-gallon copper vessel containing a potassium carbonate solution under compressed air pressure.

Fire extinguishers aren’t for young children

You may have thought fire extinguishers were for everyone, but the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) don’t recommend teaching young children how to operate them.

Not only do fire extinguishers expel pressurized chemical fire suppressants, but teaching children how to use them is counterproductive to the ‘get out and stay out’ messaging that is used to teach them how to respond to a fire emergency. If you live with young children or work somewhere where young children are present, such as a school or childcare facility, remind building occupants of your evacuation plans and how to respond in case of a fire. 

There’s more than one kind of fire extinguisher

Fire extinguishers are labeled based on the type of fire they should be used to extinguish. Fires involving wood or paper, electrical, flammable liquids, or metal sources respond differently to different extinguishers. Using one type of extinguisher on the wrong type of fire may not only be ineffective, it could be dangerous too. 

Many portable fire extinguishers are rated for use on more than one class of fire. You can check the labels on fire extinguishers on your commercial property to see what their intended use is. The most common type of extinguishers are multipurpose dry-chemical extinguishers. 

All inoperable fire extinguishers are useless

Read that one again. Remember, unless you’re using it as an oversized paperweight, your fire extinguisher needs to be fully functioning and reliable for a potential emergency. What’s the best way to keep your extinguisher in excellent condition? Regular maintenance by Orlando commercial fire extinguisher inspection providers like DynaFire. 

Our team of professionals services all major fire extinguisher brands and types. We can provide:

• Annual maintenance
• 6-year maintenance
• 5 and 12-year hydrostatic testing
• Fire extinguisher disposal 
• Fire extinguisher recharging
• And more

Not only do we get the job done, we do it with the best service you’ll find in the Florida Fire & Life Safety market. Contact us today to learn more about our Orlando commercial fire extinguisher inspection services and our other fire extinguisher solutions.