Fire Fighting Equipment

General information about fire fighting equipment

The fire fighting equipment in your facility can include various types and sizes of fire extinguishers, fire hose reels, fire extinguishers and fire blankets. The equipment is serviced by a central contract for each district. All equipment must be serviced yearly on or before the service date as specified on the previous year's service label.

Western Cape health facilities primarily use dry powder and carbon dioxide fire extinguishers and at larger facilities, the extinguishers are complimented with hydrants and fire hose reels scattered at strategic locations in the facility. Before operating an extinguisher, always ensure that the extinguisher is appropriate for the type of fire you are planning on extinguishing.

Users should familiarize themselves with where their closest extinguisher is installed and what type of fires the extinguisher can be used on. Check the label of the extinguisher for the class of extinguisher. The most commonly installed fire extinguishers feature one of the following symbols and class letters :

Class A fire extinguishers feature a letter A in a triangle and/or a picture of a trash or wood fire. These extinguishers can be used on material fires.

Class B fire extinguishers feature the letter B in a square and/or a picture of a fuel can on fire. These extinguishers can be used on flammable liquids.

Class C fire extinguishers feature the letter C in a circle and/or a picture of a plug socket on fire. These extinguishers can be used on electrical fires.

It is important that all staff are confident when using a fire extinguisher and training drills should be held often to ensure continued readiness. The focus during an actual emergency is staff and patient safety. If you are not confident that you can extinguish or slow the spread of the fire safely, try to isolate the area by closing windows and doors and immediately evacuate the area.

Remember P.A.S.S.

    1. Pull the Safety Pin and break off the tamper seal.
    2. Aim the hose at the base of the fire from about 1.5m-2.0m away and hold the cylinder steady.
    3. Squeeze the handle to expel the fire fighting agent from the nozzle. The nozzle may become cold so use the hand-grip.
    4. Sweep the extinguishing agent across the base of the fire using the hose.

If you would like to have the staff at your facility trained in fire prevention and fire fighting, kindly contact us to arrange this. Please include the amount of people who need to be trained. This should be limited to kitchen staff, technical staff and assigned fire and floor marshals. When training of this staff is complete, they can in-turn provide general training to the remaining staff on the premises. Engineering may also be able to provide expired extinguishers to use in live training exercises.

DCP (Dry Chemical Powder) Extinguishers

General Information

Dry powder extinguishers are the most commonly installed type of fire extinguishers at healthcare facilities. This extinguisher can be used on Class A,B or C. These extinguishers come in a variety of sizes ranging from 1.5kg up to 9kg for normal use and some larger models used for specialty applications.

Usage Instructions

Dry powder extinguishers can be used on all types of fires and expels a fine chemical when used. The chemical covers the fuel-source which effectively smothers the fire. Where possible powder extinguishers should not be used on electronic equipment as it may damage the equipment.

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Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Extinguishers

General Information

CO2 extinguishers are normally installed near electronic equipment or where the chemicals in DCP / Powder extinguishers would affect a patient or service. Examples would be CT/Xray Scanners, Burns unit, Operating Theater, CSSD, Pharmacy, Archives or in the various types of plant rooms.

Usage Instructions

CO2 extinguishers spray out a expanding carbon dioxide fog which both cools the fire and displaces oxygen. When using a CO2 extinguisher it is important to remember to "sweep" the fire away from you until it is extinguished. CO2 should not be used in confined spaces.

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Fire Hose Reels

General Information

Fire hose reels consists out of a 30m roll of hose attached to a spindle. The water is connected to the main fire water supply and should provide good pressure of water when operated. Since water is used, hose reels should not be used on electrical or flammable liquid fires.

Usage Instructions

The hose tap should be opened and then the person operating the equipment should take the nozzle and move towards the fire allowing the hose to unroll from the spindle. When approximately 3m from the fire the nozzle should be turned anti-clockwise to allow water to flow.

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Fire Hydrants

General Information

Hydrants are normally installed in larger facilities. The hydrant is connected to a dedicated fire water main supply which ensures that high pressure is available for firefighting operations. Often the pressure in the line is boosted using a special pump that is activated in the event of a fire.

Usage Instructions

A hose is clamped into the lip of the valve and using a nozzle at the end of the hose, high pressure water is directed onto the fire after the hydrant is opened. This equipment should not be operated by staff unless they have been trained specifically as the use of a hydrant hose can be dangerous if used incorrectly.

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Fire Blankets

General Information

Fire blankets are made out of fiberglass or kevlar which is chemically treated to be fire retardant. The blankets are released using the pull tapes at the bottom of the holder and should be used to smother small fires , most often in kitchens.

Usage Instructions

Pull on both release tabs on the bottom of the unit. The entire blanket will be pulled from the housing. Unfold the blanket and wrap around or carefully place over a item that is on fire. Do not remove the blanket until you are sure the fire has been smothered.

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Other Types of Equipment

Foam Extinguishers

Foam extinguishers are almost exclusively used at helipads or vehicle parking buildings. These extinguishers can be used on Class A and Class B fires and are not suitable for electrical fires.

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Foam Extinguishers

Foam extinguishers are almost exclusively used at helipads or vehicle parking buildings. These extinguishers can be used on Class A and Class B fires and are not suitable for electrical fires.

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Fire Fighting Trolleys

Trolleys usually have a powder fire extinguisher mounted to a trolley frame to enable easy transport. These trolleys are usually used at Helipads and can be used on Class A,B and C fires.

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