There are by far many types and design of fire extinguishers in the market. A good fire extinguisher that can serve in times of emergency should have the following properties.

Quality

You must make sure the fire extinguisher was certified by the relevant authority on its product quality and usability. In Singapore, Singapore Productivity Board carries out the tests and certification on all commercial fire extinguishers. Extinguishers that are certified will be endorsed by a PLS sticker as follows:

Fire Rating

Fire Ratings for fire extinguishers must be clearly stated such as “5A/34B.” The higher the numbers indicate the higher the fire fighting power. The letter indicated refers to Class A & B fires respectively.

Class A:

Each test fire is designated by a number followed by the letter A. The designating number of the test fire represents:

• The length of the test fire in decimetres i.e. the length of the wooden sticks arranged in the longitudinal direction of the test fire.
• The number of 500mm wooden sticks for each layer arranged in the transverse direction of the test fire.

Class B:

Each test fire is designated by a number followed by the letter B. The designating number of the test fire represents:

• The volume of liquid in litres contained in welded sheet steel cylindrical trays.