Administration Manual - B.E.S.T. Undertaking.

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14. Generally, portable appliances shall be placed as near as possible to exist or stair landing.
Wherever possible, advantages shall be taken of normal routes of escape by placing appliances
in positions where they shall readily seen by persons following the natural impulse to get out
of danger. It is not advisable to place extinguishers at the ends of rooms, remote from exists
unless they are necessary to cover a particular hazard there.
15. A framed plan showing the location of fire fighting appliances, means of access and other
useful information shall be displayed at suitable places.
E - Selection of Fire Appliances :
16 Various types of fire appliances specified here are of value but all are not equally effective on
all kinds of fire. For this reason, the nature of contents of a building, the processes carried out
therein and the types of fire which may occur shall be taken into consideration while selecting
fire appliances.
F - Classification of Fires :
17 For all practical purposes, fire can be classified under the following heads:
a) Class 'A' Fires : Fires in ordinary combustible materials such as wood, paper, textiles, etc.
where the cooling effect of water is essential for extinguishing the fire.
b) Class 'B' Fires : Fires in flammable liquids like oils, solvents, petroleum products, varnishes,
paints, etc. where a blanketing effect is essential.
c) Class 'C' Fires : Fires involving gaseous substances under pressure where it is necessary to
dilute the burning gas at a very fast rate with an inert gas or powder.
d) Class 'D' Fires : Fires involving metals like magnesium, aluminium, zinc, potassium, etc.
where the burning metal is reactive to water and which require special extinguishing media or
techniques.
e) Class 'E' Fires : Fires involving electrical equipment where the electrical non-conductivity of
the extinguishing media is of first importance.
G - Suitability of Portable Appliances :
18. The types of extinguishers mentioned against each class of fire below are generally most
suited. As a further guide, the suitability of each type of extinguisher for different classes of
fires is shown in Appendix. It may, however, be noted that this is only for guidance and does
not cover special cases.
a) For Class 'A' Fires : Fire Appliances expelling water
b) For Class 'B' Fires : Fire Appliances discharging foam, carbon dioxide or dry powder.
c) For Class 'C' Fires : Fire Appliances discharging dry powder or carbon dioxide.