What is a Class F Fire – the best suited Fire Extinguisher?
What Types of Extinguishers are Rated as Class F Fire Extinguishers?
While Class F fires do involve flammable liquids, Class B fire extinguishers are not sufficient to handle the high-temperature cooking oil and grease fires that occur in kitchens.
It’s also important to remember that the use of water on cooking oil and grease fires will only spread the fire since the oil is not absorbed into the water but rather transported by it. Never use water on a fire involving grease or oil.
Only Class F fire extinguishers are adequate for Class F fires and should always be close at hand in a commercial kitchen. These extinguishers use extinguishing agents that separate the fuel from the oxygen and help to absorb the heat.
Currently, the only effective extinguisher rated as Class F is the Wet Chemical fire extinguisher. These extinguishers use a wet mist containing an alkaline mixture, like potassium carbonate, potassium acetate, or potassium citrate, which interact with the cooking media (oil, grease, or fat) to create a type of foam that blankets the oil or grease, cooling it and preventing it from being fed oxygen. The extinguishing agent successfully quenches the fire and also lessens the risk of reignition.
In addition to being able to extinguisher Class F fires, Class F fire extinguisher can also be effective at putting out a Class A fire that began in the kitchen as a result of the Class F fire. So, even if the flames spread to Class A fire materials within the kitchen, a Class F extinguisher should be able to handle it.
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