Our Fire Extinguishers

The majority of our extinguishers are 'stored pressure', the most common type these days, although we also offer cartridge operated units for marine and offshore applications etc. They are all fully charged, ready to go and are supplied with wall brackets. We also offer an on-site installation and certification service by our BAFE certified engineers. This ensures full compliance with the latest BSI standards and any insurance stipulations.

Safelincs also offers nationwide servicing with clear competitive pricing and no nasty hidden charges, as we include all consumables in the price we quote.

We are also very proud to be able to offer our P50 service-free fire extinguishers from Britannia, which do not not require service engineers for the guaranteed 10 year lifespan of the product.

Fire Classes

Fire risks are categorised into classes. Fire extinguishers are then rated in their ability to fight these different classes of fires. Their fire fighting capability is thus indicated by letters for fire classes and a number which stands for the strength of the extinguisher in fighting this class. The higher the number, the more powerful the extinguisher is.

Fire Classes:

Class A Fires: Solid combustibles, such as wood, paper, textiles

Class B Fires: Flammable liquids, such as petrol, diesel and paraffin

Class C Fires: Flammable gases, such as LPG and natural gas

Class D Fires: Flammable metals, such as magnesium swarf

Class F Fires: Cooking fats, such as deep fat fryers oils

Types of Extinguishers

CO2 fire extinguishers

These units use pure carbon dioxide to suffocate fire and leave behind no residue once the fire is extinguished. They were originally designed for class B fires, which are flammable liquid fires, such as oil, petrol and solvents, however, these days CO2 extinguishers are mainly used for the fire fighting on live electrical equipment. They are often installed next to foam extinguishers in offices with computers. The size of CO2 units is stated in kg (of CO2 gas) and the portable CO2 extinguishers weigh 2 and 5 kg. In addition to our brand new CO2 products we offer fully factory refurbished CO2 extinguishers (pressure tested and re-painted). A specialist version of the CO2 extinguisher is anti-magnetic and is installed in areas of high magnetic activity, such as hospitals' MRI scanner suites.

Powder fire extinguishers

Also called ABC powder or dry powder extinguishers are powerful and versatile and can be used for class A (burning solids), class B (burning liquids) and class C (burning gas) fires. They can not be used on fat fires and deep fat fryer fires, as their jet would spread the burning fat. They should also not be used in confined spaces (small kitchen or boat cabins), as the powder can easily be inhaled. The residue of the powder makes the clean up after a discharge very difficult. We also stock a special powder fire extinguisher used for class D fires of flammable metals such as burning magnesium swarf. When comparing powder units, please note that BC powder does not offer the same protection as ABC powder.

Water fire extinguishers

These are used on class A fires of solid combustible materials, such as wood, fabric and paper. The water penetrates burning materials to cool down the fire, which extinguishes the fire and stops it re-igniting. Near electrical equipment you should choose water fire extinguishers with additives, as these prevent electrocution. A new development are the 'dry' water mist extinguishers, which can be used on class A, B, C and F* fires and are very easy to use. These can be installed in buildings, where extinguisher training of all residents/staff is not feasible, such as in HMOs etc.

*We do not recommend using water mist on anything above a 5F rated fire (this is equivalent to an average domestic deep fat fryer).

Foam fire extinguishers

These are used on burning solids (Class A) and liquid fires (Class B), such as burning petrol. They are excellent in general office or home environments. The foam penetrates burning fabrics and solids and forms a cooling blanket of top of the fire. Foam extinguishers are widely used in office environments, as they offer a reasonably wide cover without the clean-up problem of a powder extinguisher. Foams can be used safely on electrical items, as long as they are 35kV tested and you keep a safety distance of 1m.

Wet chemical fire extinguishers

Wet chemical and ABF foam extinguishers are used on fat fires and deep fat fryer fires (Class F). The chemical of the wet chemical bonds with the burning fat and stops the supply of oxygen to the fat. It also cools down the fat. Wet Chemical extinguishers are used in professional kitchens, while ABF can be used in domestic kitchens.

Lithium-ion fire extinguishers

This new range of extinguishers is designed for tackling lithium-ion battery fires. These rechargeable batteries are used in mobile devices like smartphones and laptops, power tools, e-bikes and hoverboards, power storage systems, UPS backup units, vapes, and electric vehicles. A designated Class does not yet exist since the emerging technologies for li-ion battery fires are newer than the British Standards. All models on the market at present are water-based with additives designed to absorb & disperse the heat of failing lithium-ion cells, or to contain the heat and prevent it propagating to other cells in the battery.