Fire Classes Along with Their Meanings

By Trevor Evans

When we discuss fire classes we´re not discussing fire education, we mean something totally different. Fire classes are the various forms of fires that can happen, usually in accordance with the type of material that´s on fire.

The key reason why we´ve got different classifications of fire is simply because various kinds of extinguisher are utilized to fight different varieties of fire. It´s really simple to find the ideal extinguisher for each fire type since they will always be colour coded.

Europe, the US and Australia/Asia all utilise different classes but you´ll find so many similarities between them. This is a breakdown of different classes found in the various continents and countries.

Fire Classes Used in Great Britain and the EU

A - ordinary flammables, B - combustible or flammable liquids, C - flammable gas, D - combustible metals, E - (this class is no longer used in Europe), F - cooking oils and fats

Fire Classes Used Throughout Asia and Australia

A - everyday combustibles, B - combustible or flammable liquids, C - flammable gasses, D - flammable metals, E - electrical appliances, F - cooking oils and fats,

Fire Classes Used in America

A - ordinary combustibles, B - combustible liquids and gasses, C - electrical appliances, D - flammable metals, K - cooking fats and oils

Class E is no longer employed in the UK and Europe. Mainly because once the power source is turned off (simply because it should be in the event of a fire) an electrical fire can fall into a variety of the other classes.

Some Typical Examples

Regular Combustibles - the most widespread sort of fire caused when natural solids for example, wood, paper or cloth ignite. It´s ok to make use of water extinguishers in this sort of fire.

Flammable Gasses or Liquids - this is any fire where liquid or gas fuels ignite. These really should be extinguished using dry chemical or halon extinguishers

Combustible Metals - metals such as titanium, magnesium and uranium are highly combustible. Dry powdered units should be used to fight fires like these

Electrical Appliances - this includes any appliance that are or might be electrically energised. Water, foam and also other agents which might transmit electrical current must not be employed to extinguish fires of this type.

Cooking Oils and Fats - common in household kitchens, saponification (an activity that creates soap from fats) or fire blankets are often used to extinguish these fires. Water extinguishers should never be employed on fat or oil fires as they will cause the fire to flare up which is extremely dangerous.

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