page_title: Fire extinguisher
section_title: United Kingdom
hierarchical_section_title: Fire extinguisher / Classification / United Kingdom
caption_attribution_description: English: Fire extinguisher with ID sign, call point and fire action sign
context_page_description: A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which has reached the ceiling, endangers the user, or otherwise requires the expertise of a fire brigade. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent that can be discharged to extinguish a fire. Fire extinguishers manufactured with non-cylindrical pressure vessels also exist but are less common.
  There are two main types of fire extinguishers: stored-pressure and cartridge-operated. In stored pressure units, the expellant is stored in the same chamber as the firefighting agent itself. Depending on the agent used, different propellants are used. With dry chemical extinguishers, nitrogen is typically used; water and foam extinguishers typically use air. Stored pressure fire extinguishers are the most common type. Cartridge-operated extinguishers contain the expellant gas in a separate cartridge that is punctured prior to discharge, exposing the propellant to the extinguishing agent.
context_section_description: According to the standard BS EN 3, fire extinguishers in the United Kingdom as all throughout Europe are red RAL 3000, and a band or circle of a second color covering between 5–10% of the surface area of the extinguisher indicates the contents.  Before 1997, the entire body of the fire extinguisher was color coded according to the type of extinguishing agent.
  The UK recognises six fire classes:
  Class A fires involve organic solids such as paper and wood.
  Class B fires involve flammable or combustible liquids, including petrol, grease, and oil.
  Class C fires involve flammable gases.
  Class D fires involve combustible metals.
  Class E fires involve electrical equipment/appliances.
  Class F fires involve cooking fat and oil.
  Class E has been discontinued, but covered fires involving electrical appliances.  This is no longer used on the basis that, when the power supply is turned off, an electrical fire can fall into any of the remaining five categories.
  In the UK, the use of Halon gas is now prohibited except under certain situations such as on aircraft and in the military and police.
  Fire extinguishing performance per fire class is displayed using numbers and letters such as 13A, 55B.
  EN3 does not recognise a separate electrical class - however there is an additional feature requiring special testing (35 kV dielectric test per EN 3-7:2004).  A powder or CO₂ extinguisher will bear an electrical pictogramme as standard signifying that it can be used on live electrical fires (given the symbol E in the table). If a water-based extinguisher has passed the 35 kV test it will also bear the same electrical pictogramme – however, any water-based extinguisher is only recommended for inadvertent use on electrical fires.
caption: A British fire extinguisher with ID sign, call point and fire action sign
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