No one likes to think about it, but fires can and do occur. If there was a small fire on your stove, how would you handle it? A small fire can become a catastrophic one in just a few seconds, so you need to be able to immediately extinguish fires as they happen. When you have a stove fire, water isn’t the way to go; this will spread the flames. You also can’t smother the flames with a blanket as you would with a conventional fire. To handle a stove fire, you need a CO2 fire extinguisher on hand - in the home, the office and anywhere else that a fire can happen. Having a CO2 fire extinguisher lets you quickly take care of a small fire before it gets out of hand.
You probably think of CO2 fire extinguishers as the tool of choice for dealing with electrical fires. Since these extinguishers use cold compressed air to smother the flames, they can put out a fire where water would only cause more damage. Fires involving flammable liquids are also a situation where CO2 fire extinguishers are needed. While these extinguishers are ideal for these fires, they work equally well to put out any fire, making them essential safety equipment for any home or office.
While most realize CO2 is a form of gas, it is not in this state when it is contained in the fire extinguisher. Actually, within the fire extinguisher, it takes the form of liquid. When it is released, it comes out in a half-liquid, half-vapor form that turns into ice when it hits the fire. This effectively freezes and smothers the fire in a way other fire extinguishers would not be able to do.
The CO2 vapor which is released from a CO2 fire extinguisher quickly dissipates in the air. This means that when you use a CO2 fire extinguisher, you need to be close to the fire for it to be effective. You’ll have to be within 4-8 feet of the fire; farther away than this and the CO2 will disperse and become a cloud which is too diluted by oxygen to smother the flames and extinguish the fire.
Remember that a fire is not always completely extinguished when it appears to be out. A fire can re-ignite if there are any embers remaining. After putting out the fire, stay close by and be prepared to use the CO2 fire extinguisher again should the flames mount back up. Always watch the fire carefully until you can be absolutely certain that there is no risk of re-ignition.
Since fires are a rare occurrence, you probably won’t use your CO2 fire extinguishers for a while. While in an ideal world you’d never need them at all, having a working fire extinguisher on hand is vital to ensuring the safety of your family or your business. Have your CO2 fire extinguishers checked regularly to make sure that they are in good working order and ready to be used at a moment’s notice.
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