Fire Extinguishers
Save Lives
See It – Grab It – Use It
FAIR GROVE, MO- Students at the Fair Grove elementary school had to be evacuated after an electric fire in one of the bathrooms filled the school with smoke. The teacher that discovered the fire, first notified the administration, and then used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Upon arrival, the fire department made sure the fire would not reignite, and then helped clear smoke from the school. The fire was started by a fan in the bathroom that shorted out.
Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, MO)
GREENCASTLE, IN – The Greencastle Fire Department was called to respond to a structure fire at the town’s Long John Silver’s. The fire started in the restaurant’s kitchen near the fryer area. Restaurant employees acted quickly and put out the grease fire using a portable fire extinguisher. When the fire crews arrived on the scene, the building had been evacuated and the fire was completely extinguished. No damage or injuries were reported by the fire department.
Banner Graphic (Greencastle, IN)
BRADFORD COUNTY, FL- An on duty shift sergeant was alerted to a dryer fire by inmates at the Bradford County Jail. The sergeant saw flames coming from the bottom of the dryer unit, so he used a portable fire extinguisher to put them out. The corrections officers extinguished the fire just as the Starke Fire Department arrived at the jail. The fire was contained to the laundry area and no evacuation of the jail was required.
News 4 JAX (Bradford Country, FL)
CHARLOTTE, NC- As a retired military veteran was driving in his company van he spotted a car on the off-ramp that was on fire. He quickly made a U-turn to make his way back to the car. The veteran then grabbed the portable fire extinguisher that was in his work van and ran to the car. He and another person used the fire extinguisher to keep the flames down while they helped the woman from her car. Authorities stated that had the fire got any worse, the car could have exploded.
COLUMBIA, MO – A Wal-Mart employee called the Columbia Fire Department when a small electrical fire started in the store’s meat department. The employee then put out the fire using a portable fire extinguisher. It took the Columbia Fire Department only five minutes to dispatch to the store, but officials state that the fire was already extinguished before they arrived. The fire started in the cooling unit of a stationary meat rack according to the official press release.
ALBANY, GA- An Albany Utilities technician saved a family, and their home, after a stove caught on fire from an electrical shortage. At the time that the fire started, five members of the family were inside the house, and the utilities technician was working at a house three doors away. When the technician heard the homeowner exclaiming that there was a fire, he grabbed the portable fire extinguisher he had with him and sprang into action. It only took the technician about five minutes to put out the fire using the extinguisher. Due to his quick-thinking, only the stove was damaged from the fire.
SHAWNEE, Kan. — Firefighters were called to a home in the 8900 block of Rene Wednesday morning after a laptop computer burst into flames. Paul Kupperman said his wife, Juli, was at home reading e-mail on a different computer when the Sony Vaio laptop computer caught fire. “Flames started to shoot out from all different directions,” Juli Kupperman said.
She put out the fire with a fire extinguisher and called him at work to tell him what happened. “(The laptop) burst into flames again while she was on the phone with me. So I dropped the phone and called 911 and started for home. She had it put out on the driveway by the time everyone got here,” Paul Kupperman said. Kupperman said his laptop computer was turned off, but was charging at the time of the fire. He said the only damage was a smudge on the wall and fire extinguisher dust on the furniture.
BRATTLEBORO, NC – Brattleboro firefighters were called after a grease fire broke out on the stove of a local mobile home. Firefighters later said that they originally expected to arrive at the scene to a large fire. Much to their surprise, the 19-year-old teen that was at home when the fire started had used a portable ABC fire extinguisher to prevent the fire from spreading. The firefighters completely extinguished the fire once they arrived, but said it “could have been a total loss” if it were not for the teenager using the portable fire extinguisher.
Rocky Mount Telegram (Brattleboro, NC)
KALAMAZOO, Mich- A quick thinking father jumped into action, extinguishing a car fire before it could spread to a nearby home. The vehicle hit as many as three homes before it caught fire after crashing into another house. Awoken by his son, who heard the crash, the man saw the fire from his home, grabbed an extinguisher from his boat, and ran towards the vehicle wielding his extinguisher. He was able to extinguish the fire, which he says was rapidly spreading under the engine compartment. Police say that the occupants of the vehicle fled the scene and K9 units failed to locate them.
HAZELTOWN, PA – Quick action by a homeowner controlled a small electrical fire in his basement and prevented it from spreading further. The homeowner noticed the fire after investigating his electrical panel box. After finding smoke in the basement, he successfully deployed his portable extinguisher to begin extinguishing the fire. According to Valley Regional Fire Captain Joseph Minzola, his crew responded to the Butler Township home around 2 p.m. to find that the homeowner had used his extinguisher to knock down the flames to a smolder. Firefighters assisted in further extinguishing the fire and reported it was under control upon arrival. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Freemont Tribune(Freemont, NE)
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
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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.
