Perform Basic Fire Fighting

Identify fire hazards, practice preventative measures, and prevent the fire triangle before firefighters arrive to reduce risk from smoldering fires and toxic fumes.

Identify and eliminate fire hazards and ignition sources with a written workplace fire prevention plan, establish a clear evacuation plan, and implement controls to reduce fires before they start.

Identify housekeeping hazards, ensure posted evacuation plans, maintain fire safety systems, and practice your escape plan; keep exits, sprinkler heads, and extinguishers unobstructed, and safely store flammables.

Inspect electrical appliances and wiring routinely to spot wear and replace damaged cords. Do not overload circuits, keep liquids away, and use surge protectors to prevent shocks or fires.

Identify and mitigate process and operation hazards, including cutting and welding with open flames, molten metal ignition, overheating dryers, grinding sparks and dust, and flammable vapors.

Identify smoking hazards, do not smoke, obey no smoking signs, avoid smoking near flammable materials and powders like sawdust, plastic, or metal, and properly extinguish smoking materials after use.

Identify prevention by isolating heat, fuel, and oxygen to stop fires; install smoke detectors, extinguishers, and hoses; establish evacuation plans with alternate exits, emergency numbers, and a meeting point.

Understand the pressurized water extinguisher for class A fires, 2.5 gallons, 30–40 foot range, and a pressure gauge. It cools material, not suitable for oil, fat, or electrical fires.

Learn how carbon dioxide extinguishers smother class b fires, including live electrical equipment, with 8–30 second discharges, a 3–8 foot range, and ventilation to reduce fumes.

learn to operate a fire extinguisher using the pass method—pull, aim, squeeze, sweep—while staying safe at six to 10 feet away and sweeping until extinguished; remember race—rescue, alarm, contain, evacuate.

Identify what is burning to choose the right extinguisher and assess hazards. Decide quickly whether to fight or call the fire department, and avoid fighting to prevent toxic fumes.

Fight a fire safely by maintaining distance, using the right extinguisher for the burning material, switching off electricity, and moving around to extinguish all material and prevent rekindling.

Monitor the fire area for reignition, coordinate with emergency services, replace used equipment, and document ignition point, wind direction, smoke color, time, and nearby hazards.

Inspect and locate a fire extinguisher, confirm the gauge is green, and ensure proper mounting and clear access. Learn the pull, aim, squeeze, sweep method to extinguish small fires.