Why Fire Extinguishers Placement is Important for Commercial Buildings (5 Classes of Fires Included)

6/22/2020 (Permalink)

Proper placement of fire extinguishers is essential for protection against commercial fire damage

Understanding the critical fundamentals of fire safety is essential for your staff and customers. 

Understanding the number of fire extinguishers necessary in your Atlanta commercial building is dependent on a couple of variables. First and foremost, please remember that OSHA is in charge of enforcing fire safety to keep Atlanta residents safe from fire damage. With that being said, it is essential to be aware of your building's square footage and how prone the Atlanta property is to fire damage. 

NFPA Classes of Fire and Spacing for a Fire Extinguisher 

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has come up with the five main classes of fires necessary to protect against property damage. We have seen all three fire types happen in Atlanta's commercial buildings.

Class A: Class A fires can break out in offices, classrooms, and assembly halls with mainly minimal combustible materials. For best fire protection practices, it is necessary to have one 2-A extinguisher every 3,000 square feet.

Class B: Protection against a class B fire requires that all employees have access to an extinguisher within 50 feet. These types of commercial buildings include locations such as workshops, storage areas, research operations, garages, warehouses, or service and manufacturing areas. 

Class C: Class C fires are caused by energized electrical equipment. The spacing of an extinguisher is dependent on if the building falls under a class A or B.   

Class D: Class D fires can break out in locations where combustible metal powders, flakes, shavings, or similarly sized materials are generated at least once every two weeks. For best fire safety practices precautions, it is best to have fire extinguishers no more than 75 feet from the potential hazard.

Class K: Class K fires happen in locations where potential fire hazards from combustible cooking materials exist. For safety precautions, it is recommended that fire extinguishers are at a maximum travel distance of 30 feet.

The city of Atlanta is full of commercial buildings that suffer from fire damage multiple times a year. We know this because we have been the go-to Fire Damage Restoration company for most of the property managers in and around metro Atlanta. We understand that each building is different when it comes to the hazard level of potential fire damage.  

We want our commercial clients to make sure that they are always doing their part by following the OSHA and NFPA fire safety precautions and are keeping their Atlanta fire extinguishers at the proper distance. Fire extinguishers have an expiration date labeled on the side of them. We recommend that the expiration dates be saved on your calendar for best safety practices causing a reminder alerts you when the expiration is near. 

In case of Fire Damage 

If a fire breaks out in your commercial building, please call 911 as soon as possible. The Atlanta fire department is known for its highly skilled fast-acting professionals. After the fire is put out, SERVPRO will happily come out and clean all of the damaged materials in and around your property. We are available 24/7 365 days a year. You can call us at (404) 835-0200.