As a building owner in Akron, Ohio it important to make sure you have plenty of fire extinguishers on the premises. The question you may ask yourself, “How many do I need?” Many factors determine the number, type, size and location you need to keep your building to code and your employees and customers safe.
The National Fire Protection Association, local codes and OSHA have requirements for the specific number of fire extinguishers that must be present in public buildings.
The below factors determine the requirements according to NFPA.
- Size and layout of the room: a basic NFPA rule is that there should be no more than 75 feet between fire extinguishers and that they should be accessible. Naturally, then, the square footage contained in a building and its layout will determine the number needed.
- Fire hazard level of the building: public buildings are evaluated and assigned a fire hazard level based on their purpose and what they contain:
- Light fire hazard
- Ordinary fire hazard I & II
- Extra fire hazard I & II
- Commercial kitchens
- Presence of flammable liquids: according to OSHA standards, if flammable liquids or gas are stored in quantities of 5 or more gallons, there must be a fire extinguisher of at least a 10B rating kept within 50 feet of the container.
- Stair wells: in multistory structures, a minimum of one fire extinguisher must be placed adjacent to the stairway.
What type of Fire Extinguisher should you buy?
There are several types of fire extinguisher classes that designates which types of fires that they are designed to extinguish. There are a few common fire classes to know when shopping for fire extinguishers:
- Class A fires, which are the most common. They are comprised of ordinary combustible products, including wood, paper, plastic, and fabric. Just about every commercial building is at risk for a Class A fire.
- Class B fires,involving flammable liquids or gases, such as gasoline, oil, propane, and kerosene.
- Class C fires, which describes fires that involve electrical wiring and thus pose the threat of electrocution.
It is important to make sure that all fire extinguishers be placed in an accessible area for your employees like in a cabinet, mounted on the wall and near exit doors. All employees should be trained on the basic principles of using fire extinguishers, as well as the hazards that are typically involved with firefighting.
If your building does catch on fire, call 911 immediately and begin your plan of evacuation. If your building needs an emergency board up from a fire, call Orion Construction 24 hours a day. We then will work hand in hand with you to rebuild your building. 330-244-9708
