Fire Extinguishers
Save Lives
See It – Grab It – Use It
Grand Forks, ND – Fire crews were recently called to respond to a fire at hotel in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Upon arriving on the scene, they discovered smoke inside the building, but no active fire. According to a statement, a portable fire extinguisher was used by someone at the hotel to completely put out the fire. There were no injuries as a result of the fire, and the cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical issue with an air conditioner.
Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, ND)
Colorado Springs, CO – A group of good Samaritans spotted a small fire while hiking and rushed to put it out before firefighters got to the scene. They spotted the fire near the parking lot as their hike was ending. The group was able to find a portable fire extinguisher nearby and used it to control the flames until fire crews arrived. A spokesperson for the city of Manitou Springs says firefighters were able to gain 100 percent control of the fire very quickly.
KKTV 11 News (Colorado Springs, CO)
Portsmouth, NH – A man was working in a residential neighborhood when he noticed that a nearby porch was engulfed in flames. He immediately grabbed the portable fire extinguisher he keeps with him, ran over to the fire, and used it to extinguish most of the flames. Portsmouth firefighters were able to knock down the remaining flames. Damage was limited to the porch railing and the overhanging part of the roof.
Seacoastonline (Portsmouth, NH)
West Sand Lake, NY – On a recent Friday evening, a woman was watching a livestream of a pig enclosure at a farm 80 miles away when the pig knocked a heat lamp into a pile of hay. As the woman watched the rapidly spreading fire, she began calling every phone number she could find for the farm. She was finally able to connect with the farmer and alert him to the fire in the pig enclosure. She then watched on the live stream as two farmers rushed into the enclosure, one who led the pig out while the other used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. No animals or humans suffered injuries as a result of the fire.
Waldport, OR – An Oregon couple was waiting at the Port of Alsea to pick up food when they noticed smoke beginning to billow from a docked boat. The couple ran to the boat and discovered that the fire was spreading from a battery located on a commercial boat. Then after successfully searching the surrounding boats for a portable fire extinguisher, they used it to put out the flames before the fire department could arrive. There were no reported injuries from the fire, though the couple told reporters that their food was cold by the time they picked it up.
Newport News Times (Waldport, OR)
Congratulations to our Fire Safety Hero Award winner, Jarrod R. Here’s their fire safety story submitted on our website.
Weeks after moving onto my new property in a rural area I was filling up a large water tote off my newly dug well because the electricians still needed to come permanently hook up my well. A local farmer was driving a large piece of cotton farming equipment down a dirt road but it is a residential area not farm and he hit a low hanging power wire going across the road.
The pop is what got my attention, despite being a tad bit slower than I used to be (disabled veteran) myself and my helper (Cody Osborn) who is also a disabled veteran both took chase approximately 1000 feet from my property we jumped in his truck and we were smart enough to grab a fire extinguisher out of instinct.
[Neighbors] were filming but not actually helping the farmer who was awake but seemed to be in shock from a high voltage connection with the large machine. The wire was down and away from the vehicle but in shock he kept trying to run over it and back forward and was putting himself in more danger. I climbed onto his cab and yelled for him to stop while my helper proceeded to remove him from the vehicle, I felt static pops on my hands strong enough to make my arms twitch as I climbed to the top to put out the small smoking that was there.
We used the entirety of our commercial hand me down fire extinguisher that was well past its prime bit an important safety component for my new shop. It didn’t even touch it, between the electricity still somehow stored In the machine and the very flammable cotton the fire would be put out and then moments later start in a new spot feet away from the original.
We went through 4 fire extinguishers some attached to his equipment and one more from my helpers own vehicle on this machine to keep it from engulfing in flames and we [finally] got him turned around towards my place and brought the large water tote out and used a 12 volt battery and a harbor freight water pump to empty 250 gallons of water as the volunteer fire department came and took over the situation.
While this may not sound like its in support of the value of a fire extinguisher, in fact if it wasn’t for not only my extinguishers but the ones on the machine, due to the volatile nature of cotton and the electric energy somehow stored along the machine [I’m] confident this man would have been burned alive just feet away from people’s porches and driveways. I learned that day that it is important to have multiple fire extinguishers in every area that has a potential risk not just because of the time it saves in an emergency but that when people are rushing to your aide it is important that they have quick access to one if you yourself are not able to preform self care.
Fire department was called | Woodrow, TX V.F.D. responded.
Story submitted by Jarrod R. of Lubbock, TX.
Submit your own story, or nominate a Fire Safety Hero you know here, for a chance to be featured and receive a replacement fire extinguisher.
Congratulations to our Fire Safety Hero Award winner, Blaze F. Here’s their fire safety story submitted on our website.
My tractor started on fire caused by electrical issue. My wife used 2 fire extinguishers. And held fire at bay [until] fire [department] came. Not a total loss [thanks] to my wife’s fast acting.
Fire department was called | Luthersville, GA F.D. responded.
Story submitted by Blaze F. of Gay, GA.
Submit your own story, or nominate a Fire Safety Hero you know here, for a chance to be featured and receive a replacement fire extinguisher.
Manitowoc, WI – Employees at the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin quickly extinguished a fire. The small fire occurred in an HVAC control panel on the 2nd floor mechanical room on the Administrative side of the building. The fire was put out by two portable fire extinguishers. The Sheriff’s Office says there was no risk to the jail or inmates.
Windber, PA – Fire officials from Windber, Pennsylvania say that a man saved his family after a fire started in the home’s third floor living space. After smelling smoke and hearing the fire alarms go off in his home, the man rushed to the third floor and put out the flames with a portable fire extinguisher. The man was able to completely extinguish the fire before the fire department arrived. No injuries were reported, and only a small area of the third floor suffered damage.
The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, PA)
Fort Myers, FL – Employees at a Fort Myers car dealership helped to put out a fire that started in the engine of a Volkswagen Beetle. The owner of the vehicle noticed the engine had caught on fire while driving, so he pulled into the service area of a nearby Cadillac dealership for help. The dealership’s employees immediately called 911 and used two portable fire extinguishers to put out the flames. By the time fire crews arrived, the fire was out, so they double-checked the engine to make sure it would not reignite.
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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Why Fire Extinguishers are Important
How to Use a Portable Fire Extinguisher
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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.
