You dont often notice them and yet they are probably the most important piece of equipment a business owns. They sit against a wall and employees walk past them but when needed they are ready to spring in to action and save lives. The humble fire extinguisher is ready to be put in to service and save your business.

Fire Safety consultants MacDonald Martin supply all the main types of extinguishers as well as offering the training in their proper use.

It is, of course, vital that the correct fire extinguisher is placed in an area where it will be most effective. Macdonald Martin has the expertise to help you put together a fire protection strategy that includes advice on fire extinguishers.

There are officially five classes of fire. Class A includes ordinary objects including wood and paper. This is followed by classes B and C, which are flammable liquids and gases respectively. Class D fires are those involving metals and Class F fires involve cooking fat or oil.

Water extinguishers are suitable for Class A fires and these are available as stored pressure or cartridge. Stored pressure extinguishers are the most common type, cartridge operated extinguishers are mainly used by industrial facilities.

Then there are the all purpose dry powder extinguishers, which are suitable for class A.B.C and electrical fires. They also provide Wet Chemical Extinguishers suitable for Class A and F fires. These are compact and easy to use and they are the only extinguisher to deal effectively with cooking oil fires.

Finally, they can supply Foam Fire extinguishers and Co2 extinguishers. Foam extinguishers have the advantage a high power to weight ratio and are suitable for class A, B, C and Electrical fires. Co2 extinguishers are effective on Class B and electrical fires and they are very compact.

As fire protection consultants MacDonald Martin can help organisations to choose the right mix of extinguishers for their type of business. It is just a part of the comprehensive range of fire safety services they offer.

So while that little red canister may sit there in the corner as workers come and go each day it is ready. Hopefully it will never be needed. If it is, MacDonald Martins fire safety knowledge means it will be the right type to fight the right job and protect staff and businesses alike. For more information visit http://www.macdonald-martin.co.uk/