In addition to knowing what your responsibilities are in an emergency you should also know where your fire fighting equipment is located and what types of fire it can and cannot be used upon. Hand held extinguishers are provided throughout the hotel, including service areas. Usually you will find extinguishers of a type appropriate to their environment (for example carbon dioxide near electrical panels, fire blankets in kitchens, etc). Your hotel ensures that hand held extinguishers are properly maintained and have a valid maintenance tag. The maximum travel distance from you and a fire extinguisher will not exceed 25m. The fire extinguishers most commonly found are water but there may be other fire-fighting equipment such as hose reels throughout the hotel. Other fire extinguishers for specific fire risks as follows:
Foam AFFF or multipurpose foam for areas where there is a risk of flammable liquid fires, such as oil or paint
Carbon dioxide for areas where there is a risk of fires involving electricity
Dry powder for use on all types of fire
Fire blankets for smothering a fire in areas such as kitchens
"F" type wet chemical for fires involving high temperature cooking oils found in deep fat fryers
Safety - always put yourself first
If you have not been trained in the use of hand held extinguishers you should not attempt to tackle a fire. Remember the most important thing is to raise the alarm if you discover a fire. Then if it is a small fire and it is safe to do so use a hand held fire extinguisher. If you are unsure of what to do, leave the area, closing doors and windows behind you.
General instructions for using an extinguisher:
Read the instructions on the side of the extinguisher to ensure the correct one has been selected
Ensure that you are positioned between the fire and the escape route
Pull out the safety pin firmly (this will be secured by an anti-tamper device)
Apply to the base of the fire in short bursts, keeping clear of smoke
If the fire is not out by the time the extinguisher is empty, leave, closing all doors
Chafing Fuel
Hotels use chafing fuel to keep banquet food and hot boxes warm. By design, chafing fuel produces an open flame. To help minimize the potential for fire, caution must be used when working with chafing fuel. To do this, we need to know some basic “Do’s” and “Don’ts”.
When removing the lid from the can, DO use a blunt obMect, DON’T use a sharp obMect. This will help prevent you from poking a hole in the can, which could allow fuel to spill and fire to spread outside the can.
After removing the lid, DO remove excess gel from the lid. This will minimize the chance that you could set the lid on fire when trying to extinguish the can.
DO keep a portable fire extinguisher within 25 feet of all burning cans of chafing fuel.
DO wash your hands after opening the can, but before attempting to light the fuel. This will help prevent you from accidentally setting yourself on fire if some of the fuel gets onto your hands.
To minimize your potential for getting burnt while using chafing fuel, DO place the can under the chafing dish before lighting it. DO use a long handled match or butane lighter to light the can and DO keep all napkins, loose clothing, hair, and other combustible materials a safe distance away from the flame.
DON’T use a lit can to try and light another can.
DON’T carry a lit can.
DON’T carry a chafing dish with a lit can underneath,
DON’T attempt to blow out the flame and DON’T use your hands to put out the flame, DO extinguish the flame by using the lid of the can.
To avoid being burnt by the can, DON’T try and touch the can before it has cooled and DO allow the cans to cool before attempting to touch or move them.
To minimize the potential for fire when storing chafing fuel, you should store chafing fuel in fire resistant cabinets.
DON’T throw hot chafing fuel cans in the trash. Always make sure the lid is in place and the can has completely cooled before throwing them away.
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