
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are your first line of defence in the event of a fire, and are a legal requirement for any business premises.
There are 5 main types of fire extinguishers, each designed to extinguish a different type of fire. In order to comply with current fire safety regulations your business must have the right types of fire extinguishers for your premises.
Classes Of Fire
- Class A – fires involving solid materials such as wood and fabric
- Class B – fires involving flammable liquids (oil, petrol etc)
- Class C – fires involving gases
- Class D – fires involving metals
- Class E – technically class ‘E’ doesn’t exist but is used for ease of understanding here – these are electrical fires
- Class F – fires involving cooking oil
Types Of Fire Extinguishers
- Water – these are suitable for Class A fires. They are the most commonly used form of fire extinguisher in business premises.
- Foam – used for Class A and B fires, these extinguishers are also commonly used, and are more effective than water extinguishers.
- Dry Powder – this type of fire extinguisher can be used on most fires, but works best on liquid fires
- Wet Chemical – this is a specialist type of extinguisher for Class F fires.
- CO2 – these offer the best and safest option for electrical fires, and can also extinguish Class B fires. However, this type of extinguisher does not kill heat, so there is a high risk of reignition.
Since January 1997, in accordance with BS EN 3, all fire extinguishers have been coloured red, with colour-coded labels indicating the contents.
The colours are coded as follows:
- Water – Red
- Foam – Cream
- Dry Powder – Blue
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – Black
All of the extinguishers supplied by Gardant comply with the British Standards BS 5309-3:2017 and BS5306-8:2012.

How It Works
- We will attend your premises to carry out a full survey, in which we identify the fire risks to your premises, assess their location and designate different fire ‘zones’.
- We will create a proposal for your premises that ensures that you have the necessary fire extinguishers for your building, and that all zones have access to the extinguishers they need in order to ensure legal compliance and meet insurance standards.
- On your agreement, we will supply and BAFE (British Approval for Fire Equipment) engineers will install the relevant extinguishers
- Our engineers will provide a commissioning certificate and asset register, allowing you to note maintenance and test dates.
- Before we leave we will arrange with you your first maintenance appointment, which we will keep once every year to ensure that your fire extinguishers are in full working order.
Gardant is able to furnish your business premises with all new fire extinguishers, or we offer a full fire extinguisher servicing service, where we check and maintain your existing ones.
To find out more, just call 0345 5480184, or email sales@gardant.co.uk.
Contact Us
0345 5480184
info@gardant.co.uk
North Devon Office: Gardant Security Ltd, CA Building, The Strand, Barnstaple EX31 1EU
South Devon Office: Gardant Security Ltd, Ensign House, Parkway Court , Longbridge Road, Plymouth, PL6 8LR
Monday-Friday: 8am - 5pm
Get Started
Get in touch for a free, no obligation, security consultation.1