To some people, fire extinguishers are like Christmas presents under the tree; you know you shouldn’t open them early, but you just can’t resist tearing off a corner… Of course, the dilemma is fire extinguishers need to be easily at hand to be useful, and that makes them just as easy to misuse.
Back in July, a policeman sustained nasty head injuries when attending a burglary in Kent, when the offenders hit him over the head with a fire extinguisher.
In September, a newsagent’s shop in Surrey was filled with powder when a fire extinguisher was let off in his shop – at 5.30am. Not a life-threatening incident, we admit, but the resulting mess clogged up the poor man’s stock, shop and business for several days.
And in a Londonderry court in October, one defendant showed his displeasure at his sentence by spraying the judge and the prosecutor with a water fire extinguisher. (Quite how he managed to grab it and do this while in police custody is being investigated!)
So, I asked Jason (our fire extinguisher guru) what he would recommend to deter incorrect use of fire extinguishers. As ever, he came up with a great little phrase: Clip, Cover, Cradle!
- CLIP on an anti-tamper tag around the safety pin extinguisher handle, and you’ll know if anyone has used it. If the pin is pulled, the seal snaps, and can’t be reused. Colour-coding helps you identify when the extinguisher was last checked. (Jason also says you can use these to secure prezzies to the Xmas tree, but we think that’s going a little far…)
- COVER your fire extinguisher in a tough fire extinguisher cover. These tough covers keep extinguishers clean from dust, spills and splashes, and also deter inquisitive fingers. Easy to remove in an emergency, it’s what the well-dressed extinguisher is wearing this season!
- CRADLE your fire extinguisher. Well, not quite literally, but make sure they are secure by using a fire extinguisher stand. Fire Protection Online have a wide range of stands, from unmissable bright red durable plastic stands, to elegant curved metal stands for your designer chrome fire extinguishers.
- Save CASH! With Fire Protection Online, you can save up to 39% off RRP with our fire extinguisher stands.
So that’s more cash to spend on my Christmas present, Jason, right?
