What type of fire extinguisher is in your shop?

[Steve Griffin]

hold your breath and run like hell. it's your ONLY chance.

-Steve

[John Coloccia]

hold your breath and run like hell. it's your ONLY chance.

-Steve

Why on earth would I do that when I have a fire extinguisher right here that can at least help get some of the flames out of my way? Maybe they won't get everything out of my way but some is better than none I would say, especially depending on the severity. This is such a sweeping and general statement.

[Steve Griffin]

Then I'll make that sweeping general statement one more time:

IF the fire is too big to step over, around or quickly through, the fire is the least of your problems. There is absolutely no situation like that which you could fix with a small extinquisher.

-steve

[Karl Brogger]

Fire extinguisher? I'm not sure I'd bother calling the fire department until it was really roaring.

[Dick Thomas]

I guess I'm the oddball on this issue: My home is fully sprinklered, including the garage/shop. Since the house is 1.5 miles off the paved highway, in the mountains, I was required to put in sprinklers as a condition of getting a building permit!! Its a wet pipe system with a 300 gallon dedicated supply tank.

[Steve Griffin]

I guess I'm the oddball on this issue: My home is fully sprinklered, including the garage/shop. Since the house is 1.5 miles off the paved highway, in the mountains, I was required to put in sprinklers as a condition of getting a building permit!! Its a wet pipe system with a 300 gallon dedicated supply tank.

SWEET! That's what I wish had.

But you need a few small extinquishers more than anyone else-- if you get a tiny fire and don't have something to put it down, you're going to have fire damage AND water damage.

-Steve

[Eric Wheeler]

Closest thing I have to put out a fire...

[David Hostetler]

I got the Kidde Dry Chemical model that the local FD recommended during the woodworking show last year. I had it on the wall behind the band saw, but I am a bit nervous about access. I am moving it to the man door to the house underneath the first aid kit.

[Neil Brooks]

I've got the Kidde A-B-C model, too.

My shop's in the basement. There's shear wall jutting out about 6' in front of where the entrance TO the basement is. Mine's mounted ON the end OF that wall, so you see it in front of your face, when you ENTER the basement.

And it came WITH a BIG, easy-to-see/hard-to-miss sign, so ... the SIGN is mounted there, too.

[Jerry Bruette]

I work for a company that makes extinguishers of all sizes and shapes and the chemical that's in them. Every employee goes through mandatory extinguisher training yearly. The training is with a 30# ABC simulator and you'd be shocked how many people have trouble putting out the simulator. A 5# extinguisher is only good for a fire about the size of a waste basket. Any bigger than that and you better head for the door and call 911 after you are out of the building.

I also agree with Charles you will be cleaning dry chem out of places you can't imagine after discharging the unit in your shop. As an example can you imagine 20# of flour being sprayed out of a nozzle by 190 to 195 p.s.i. and the mess it would make?

On a more important note to all you folks who do have what's called a stored pressure unit ( the above mentioned Kidde units) how often have you checked the gauge to make sure the presure is still in the unit? They can and do leak and won't be a bit of good to anyone if the chemical inside can't be discharged because of low pressure or a plugged nozzle.

Jerry

[Frank Drew]

I agree with Steve on extinguisher placement -- by the exit door(s). If you've got such a serious fire that you think you'll have to "fight your way out" from somewhere all the way in the back of the shop, then it's way too big for a hand held extinguisher and what in the world were you doing during the time it took to get that big?

I've put out car engine fires with fire extinguishers, but that was outdoors and I had an exit strategy (RUN!)

(I'm a Virginia certified firefighter, not that I'm young enough to do it at this time in my life.)

[John Coloccia]

So if you had an extinguisher handy, and fire happened to be between you and the door, you would walk through the fire as opposed to unleashing with the extinguisher as you went through? Somehow, clearing as much as you can as you exit is worse than exiting?

The sweeping generality is similar to the generality of "if you have arm pain, call 911 because you could be having a heart attack". If I called 911 every time my arm was sore from something I'd have an ambulance at my shop every day or two. Obviously, if there's an inferno in the shop a good plan is to run like hell, but if there's a pile of shaving on the floor that just caught fire, there's no way I'm going to run through them and risk catching my pants on fire when I can hit them with an extinguisher and minimize the damage.

[Jeff Duncan]

I have a 2k sq. ft. and I have 4 ABC units placed in strategic locations. I forget the size but they're bigger units bout' 2' tall, maybe 6-8" in diameter. For the average wood shop I think these are the best. Do you really have time to stop and think about what type of fire it is and what type of fire extinguisher needed to put it out? Pressurized water ain't gonna help when it's an electrical or chemical fire! I have wood and wood dust, multiple gallons of finishes many of which are flammable, and of course a whole lot of electrical connections and motors. Last thing I want is to do is stop and think about what type of extinguisher I need for what type of fire. And the last thing I'm worried about afterward is cleanup or chemicals in the air if I have a fire

Priorities gentlemen....small fire, put it out with the closest extinguisher handy if possible and call the fire department if still necessary. Bigger fire, get the hell out and worry about everything else later.

good luck,
JeffD

[lowell holmes]

A lot of talk about the extinguishers, but nothing has been said about the proper use of one. If you've never been instructed, check the link below. Your life could depend on it.


http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/using.html

[Neil Brooks]

Thanks for posts #28 and #29. Good perspective and info.

Way Back When, I served for 2yrs as a volunteer firefighter. Pretty good training. I bought a _relatively small_ fire extinguisher for MY shop (and one for my kitchen) specifically because ... my philosophy mirrors Jeff Duncan's: I know where the line is -- for ME -- between staying to fight and turning to run

Which raises an interesting, but slightly OT, question: has anybody ever _specifically inquired_ whether their _home, hobbyist_ wood shop should get specific additional coverage, on one's homeowners' insurance, or ... has anybody been required TO purchase additional coverage for such a shop ??

I know many things need to be "scheduled," so .....

Buying a new house, very soon. I guess I'll soon find out, and report back