WATER EXTINGUISHER: AN IMPORTANT TOOL
An important tool often overlooked by truck company personnel is the 2 1/2-gallon water extinguisher. If only light smoke is visible on arrival, the “can” should be taken by one of the first members to enter the house. The water contained in the extinguisher is more than enough to control a fire in a chair or mattress or to “hold” the fire in a room until a hoseline is stretched to your position. For fires in furniture, direct the stream directly at the burning material. To hold a fire that is extending across the ceiling out of a room into a hallway, direct the stream at the ceiling, moving the stream back and forth to “push” the fire back toward the seat of the fire. If possible, then close the door to the room.
The “can” weighs approximately 25 pounds and has a 2 1/2-gallon capacity, a reach of 30 to 40 feet, and a duration of 50 to 55 seconds. In freezing weather, place it in the cab of the apparatus during extended operations.
Foam additives, such as AFFF, can be mixed and used in a water extinguisher. The extinguisher then may be used on Class B fires, such as grease fires, oil-pit fires, and even flowing flammable liquid fires.
