Are you looking for something stronger than the average portable fire extinguisher? Perhaps your fire protection needs are heavy duty. The National Fire Protection Association has a chart detailing appropriate extinguishers and amounts for your business. Standard fire extinguishers will meet legal requirements. But maybe, you’re still looking for something more intense Extra hazard occupancies consist of businesses with extreme fire hazards in the United States.
Extra hazard occupancies are described by the NFPA 10 as, “locations where the quantity and combustibility of Class A combustible materials are high and where high amounts of Class B flammables are present and rapidly developing fire with high rates of heat release are expected. These occupancies consist of fire hazards involved with the storage, packaging, handling, manufacture of Class A combustibles, and/or the total quantity of Class B flammables expected to be present is more than 5 gallons.” In plain English, extra hazard occupancies are where many materials are packaged and stored, lots of oil or gasoline are present, or conditions are favorable for a large, hot, fire. The fire code indicates more and/or larger fire extinguishers are required. Do these businesses need special fire safety protection? Yes and no. The fire code outlines requirements such as the number of extinguishers as well as ratings of extinguishers and suppression systems for said hazards. It could even include fire sprinklers. What kinds of extinguishers meet these needs?
ANSUL is offering a new line of fire protection: the redline cartridge-operated fire extinguisher. These extinguishers are built to last. ANSUL has created a tougher steel shell for the cylinder made of carbon and steel. This better protects the cylinder from dents and gauges. It also has a special coating on the exterior of the shell – a polyester paint to stand up against corrosion. There is a bevy of additional options as well: size, agent, and features. The portable units range from 5-to 30 pounds. They can be charged with agents designed for Classes ABC, BC, D, or K fires. If you are new to fire needs, Class A fires are ordinary combustible materials such as paper, trash, and most plastics. Class B fires are combustible or flammable liquids, like gasoline, oil, or fats. Class C fires are electrical fires. Class D fires are metal fires, like lithium. Class K fires, you guessed it, they are kitchen fires.
The features are pretty cool too. If you need the extinguisher in extremely low-temperature areas – they make a model for that. If you have a highly corrosive area, there’s a model for that too. They also have models featuring high flow rates and ring pin activation. Particularly interesting is the cartridge. It allows the interior components of the cylinder to last longer, as the pressurized gas is contained in a small cartridge outside of the cylinder. When you need to use it, activate the cartridge and the extinguisher is ready instantaneously. So, how do these extinguishers compare in performance? The specialty features and design provide more protection to the extinguisher itself. It will always be ready. No pressure leaking, fewer dents, and corrosion. They provide the same amounts of fire protection as non-ANSUL units that are comparable in scope and size. They are also comparable in usage to the ANSUL Sentry models. The extra features bring this line to the top. If you need them. In the price-performance category – ANSUL Redlines will set you back a pretty penny. I’ve seen a few on eBay (illegal to sell unless you are a licensed fire equipment dealer) and even ones that had been discharged were very pricey.
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