Fire Extinguishers
Save Lives
See It – Grab It – Use It
WINTERVILLE, NC – Early one morning, a Winterville homeowner woke to a burning smell and the sound of a neighbor banging on his door alerting him to a fire on his house. The fire had started near a front entrance on the exterior of the home. Together, the neighbor and homeowner used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. When the Red Oak Fire Department arrived at the house, only light smoke was seen coming from the house thanks to the quick actions of the duo. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but the homeowner believes it was a wire that started the early morning fire.
PULLMAN, WA – Fire authorities are warning people to be extra careful, and have a fire extinguisher on-hand, when using charcoal grills after briquettes in Pullman, WA caught on fire a month after they were used. The Pullman Fire Department responded to a call about a deck fire one recent Sunday morning. When they arrived, the apartment tenants had already put out the fire using a portable fire extinguisher. The Pullman Fire Chief told reporters that research has found that wet briquettes can spontaneously combust in the right conditions, which he believes is what happened in this situation.
MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA – During a routine trip, the chief engineer on a Martha’s Vineyard ferry discovered a fire in one of the three generators on the boat. The fire started as the ferry was coming into port in Vineyard Haven. The chief engineer quickly grabbed a portable fire extinguisher and doused the flames. Upon docking, passengers were evacuated and the fire department determined the fire was completely extinguished.
Vineyard Gazette (Martha’s Vineyard, MA)
BEL AIR, MD – A man was turning left in his car at an intersection when a school bus ran a red light and hit his car. Witnesses immediately called emergency officials, notifying them that the car had started on fire. A bystander jumped into action by flagging down a different school bus, grabbed a portable fire extinguisher, and put out the flames. When first responders got to the scene, the fire was out and they were able to focus on removing the driver from the car. The father of the car crash survivor told reporters that the bystander who put out the flames and saved his son was an “Angel”.
DALTON, GA – Thanks to the lessons learned at a recent fire station tour, a 5-year-old girl knew exactly what to do when a fire started in her bedroom. As she was playing in her room, she noticed a fire had started behind her toy box. She immediately ran out of her room to her parents, where she then told her father to go get a fire extinguisher and her mother to dial 911. As the mother did just that, while also evacuating the family from the house, the father used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The Whitfield County Fire Chief said that the fire started in the electrical socket, but was out when the fire department arrived.
The Daily Citizen (Dalton, GA)
STUART, FL – One evening, a grandmother was cooking dinner with her two grandchildren, when she left to run across the street to the store. While she was gone, the stove caught on fire. Three men who happened to be walking by saw the smoke and rushed inside the apartment. While two of the men evacuated the children, the third man used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Police officers said the men’s quick actions potentially saved two lives and prevented serious property damage.
DRYDEN, NY – Dryden middle and high schools were evacuated one morning after a chemical fire started in a chemistry classroom trashcan. Once the teacher was alerted to the fire, he was able to quickly douse the flames using a fire extinguisher. He then pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building, closing the door to the lab on his way out. In a later statement, school officials said that the incident was contained, and no students were harmed.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Powell Library administrators at the University California, Los Angeles are reviewing the library’s lighting system after a desk lamp light bulb started a fire. A library staff member spotted the fire in the Reading Room while working one night. After calling the fire department, the librarian found a portable extinguisher and put out the fire before authorities arrived. UCLA facilities workers are taking further precautions by completing a thorough check of the library’s lamps, as they want to ensure the safety of the historic Powell Library.
MARNE, MI – Six fire departments responded to a dispatch call of an explosion at a local barrel reconditioning facility. The company’s president said that the fire was caused by an inexperienced employee grinding too close to a barrel. Before any of the fire departments were able to arrive at the scene, employees had already put out the flames with a portable fire extinguisher. Two workers were checked out on the scene as a precaution, but no one was taken to the hospital. Fire authorities inspected the building, but there was only minor damage as a result of the fire and employees were cleared to reenter shortly after the incident.
PUYALLUP, WA – Costco employees had to spring into action after a customer’s cellphone caught fire in his pants. The man was shopping when, abruptly, the cellphone in his pants pocket started smoking and burst into flames. As the man hurried to remove his pants, other customers and employees were alerted to the incident. The man was able to completely take off his pants, and an employee had grabbed a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The store manager told reporters that the customer was not injured as a result of the fire.
Latest Stories
Employees use fire extinguisher against mechanical fire
Lincoln, NE – Employees at a manufacturing plant in Lincoln, NE utilized a portable fire extinguisher to stop the spread of a duct fire. After a mechanical failure in the plant’s exhaust system sparked the fire, employees used a nearby fire extinguisher to knock out the flames before firefighters arrived on scene. Fire officials praised […]
Use of fire extinguisher prevents porch fire from spreading
Elk River, MN – An employee of a Minnesota retirement community used a portable fire extinguisher to put out a fire caused by a discarded cigarette, preventing a potentially devastating porch fire. When a poorly discarded cigarette ignited a porch planter, flames and smoke began to enter the apartment building. Hearing the smoke detector, the […]
Homeowners extinguish fire started by family pet
Almira Township, MI – Homeowners in Almira Township, MI, used a portable fire extinguisher to put out a kitchen fire started by the family pet. According to fire officials, the family cat likely turned on the oven’s self-cleaning function which ignited grease in a pan left overnight. The home’s smoke alarm sounded, waking up the […]
Officer extinguishes engine fire, saves driver
Traverse, City MI – In Traverse City, Michigan, a conservation officer is being recognized for rescuing a driver involved in a two-vehicle crash. While he was assisting the rescue effort, the engine of one of the vehicles caught fire. As the flames began to spread, he quickly retrieved the portable fire extinguisher from his patrol […]
Quick-thinking employees extinguish fire
Somerset, KY – At a Dairy Queen in Somerset, Kentucky, employees quickly extinguished a kitchen fire before firefighters arrived. Firefighters dispatched to the scene were relieved to find that employees had already put out the flames using a portable fire extinguisher. The firefighters noted that the employees had completely extinguished the fire using proper fire […]
Bus driver saves police officer after crash
Pine Bluff, AR – In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, a school bus driver saved a police officer’s life after the officer’s vehicle slammed into his bus and caught fire. As flames began to spread across the vehicle, the bus driver was unable to get the driver out of the vehicle. He used a portable fire extinguisher from […]
Oven fire quickly extinguished
Philomath, OR – A woman in Philomath, OR, averted disaster when oil in her oven ignited during a self-cleaning cycle. As the oven caught fire, she quickly grabbed a portable fire extinguisher from outside her apartment door and successfully extinguished the flames before firefighters arrived. Thanks to her swift actions, the damage was limited to […]
Heroes save driver after car catches fire
Dundee, NE – Bystanders in Dundee, NE, are being praised for their quick actions in saving a driver whose vehicle had caught fire. As flames rapidly engulfed the car, two bystanders grabbed portable fire extinguishers and used them to slow the blaze long enough for others to pry open the car door and rescue the […]
Research
Portable Fire Extinguishers Dramatically Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Building Fires
Portable Fire Extinguishers are Safe & Effective Tools for Building Occupants
Videos
About FireExtinguishersSaveLives.org
Why Fire Extinguishers are Important
How to Use a Portable Fire Extinguisher
Fire Safety Map
Are You Safe? Does your building require fire extinguishers throughout?
Every state has a State Fire Code with a section on fire extinguisher requirements. To get an overview of what state fire codes are based on and if states have made enhancements to fire codes visit the Interactive Fire Safety Map.
