United Kingdom

Fire extinguishers

Reviewed 2026-07-26

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer

Do this first

Fight a fire only while it is smaller than you, your exit is clear behind you and the extinguisher matches what is burning.

A portable extinguisher empties in fifteen to twenty seconds. That is enough for a waste bin and far too little for a burning room. The letters on the label tell you which fires the unit can handle and which ones it will make worse.

Step by step

Read the class letters before you ever need them. A is solids such as wood and fabric, B is liquids, C is gases, D is metals and F is cooking oils and fats.
Match the agent to the fire. Water takes only A. Foam takes A and B. Powder takes A, B and C, and covers most household fires. CO2 takes B and electrical equipment. Wet chemical takes F, the burning pan.
Pull the pin and test with a short burst before you approach.
Aim at the base of the flames, where fuel meets air. Do not aim at the smoke.
Squeeze and sweep side to side across the base, moving in slowly. Keep your exit behind your back the whole time.
When the flames are out, watch the spot. Embers can reignite, so be ready to repeat. Ventilate the room after using powder or CO2.
If the extinguisher runs empty and anything still burns, close the door on it, get out and call 999. You have had your one attempt.

Never do this

Never use water or foam on live electrical equipment, and never use water on burning oil or fat. The first can electrocute you, and the second throws up a fireball.
Never hold the metal horn of a CO2 extinguisher. It drops to minus seventy degrees and freezes skin on contact.
Never turn your back on a fire you have just put out, and never let the fire get between you and the door.

Call emergency services if

Any fire your first extinguisher did not finish, and any fire in a wall, ceiling or electrical panel.
Any fire in a room filling with smoke, however small the flames look.
Every extinguished fire involving gas equipment, so that the installation gets checked.

Common questions

Which single extinguisher should I buy for home?

A six kilogram ABC powder unit covers the widest range, but powder ruins electronics and fills the room with blinding dust. For a kitchen, add a fire blanket and, if you fry often, a small wet chemical unit. Mount them by the exit and away from the cooker.

How often does it need service?

Look at the gauge monthly, with the needle in the green. Most manufacturers require a professional inspection every one to two years and a pressure test at longer intervals, and the sticker on the unit says when the last one was. An extinguisher that is never serviced cannot be relied on.