How well are Fire Extinguishers being used? FIA Fire Extinguisher Survey

In workplaces, fire extinguishers are not only one of the most common items of fire safety equipment, but they are also one of the most imperative – being one of the items most heavily depended on to mitigate risks and tackle emergencies. 

However, all too often, we see that organisations are unsure on the best practices for using fire extinguishers, or would feel confident grabbing one in the event of a fire. 

To get a stronger sense of how workplaces understand fire extinguishers and how to use them, the Fire Industry Association (FIA) recently conducted an expansive survey. 

In this survey, the FIA spoke to individuals who had themselves used a fire extinguisher during a real fire emergency. In so doing, they wanted to get a better understanding of how familiar workplaces are with fire extinguishers, how prepared these people felt to tackle the emergency, and to assess how effectively fire extinguishers are being used in real situations. 

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the results of the survey, and discuss what they tell us about current approaches to workplace fire safety. 

We’ll do this by delving deeper into each of the report’s key takeaways. 

Most fires were successfully extinguished with portable extinguishers

Interestingly, the survey showed that portable extinguishers are proving effective at tackling fires.

The FIA found that ~93% of fires were successfully extinguished using portable fire extinguishers. These fires were stopped before they were allowed to escalate, critically minimising damage, risks to life and costs to the business. 

Such a high statistic clearly demonstrates how vital fire extinguishers are in these settings, and how – across the country – they are preventing small fires from becoming major incidents.

Most people used the correct type of extinguisher

Interestingly, another great, positive finding from the research was that the majority of those who had used a fire extinguisher had correctly used the correct type of fire extinguisher. 

These individuals had identified and used the right extinguisher for the specific type of fire that they faced.

This is critical, because different types of fire each require specific types of fire extinguishers. 

For example, water extinguishers are needed for Class A fires (wood, paper, textiles); CO₂ extinguishers for electrical fires; and foam or powder extinguishers are needed to tackle fires caused by liquids and flammable materials. 

In this survey, it was great to see that most users were able to successfully identify the right extinguisher to use, even in an emergency scenario. 

This clearly shows that workplaces are effectively labelling their extinguishers and providing directions or signage. 

It also shows that, in many cases, basic awareness and training is delivering results (although the results don’t necessarily mean that formal training was provided to all these users – we’ll come onto this next).

Only around half of users had received formal training

This report showed some great insights into the effectiveness of fire extinguishers. 

But, one of the most surprising results was that only half (52%) of respondents had actually received formal fire extinguisher training. 48% had not received any formal training before they had to use one.

This shows that, in the majority of cases, these people had to lean on basic inductions (where provided), but mostly signage and labels, or just their common sense.

Although it’s great to see that these fire extinguishers were clear to use (even in an emergency scenario), these findings do reveal a clear risk. 

Without proper training, users might incorrectly or ineffectively use the extinguisher, use the wrong extinguisher for the fire type, or delay safe proceedings (e.g. site evacuation). By implementing workplace fire extinguishers and fire safety training, you can give your staff the knowledge and confidence to use fire safety equipment to its full effectiveness. 

In many cases, fire services were still required

Even though portable fire extinguishers were able to tackle most fires, the fire services were still needed to provide support in 27% of instances.

Even after the fire extinguishers, emergency services were required to confirm that there was no risk of the fire spreading and that the building was safe, or to address any other hazards (e.g. smoke or electrical risks). 

As you can see, while fire extinguishers are a great aid, they are just one part of a proper fire safety strategy. 

Which sectors used extinguishers the most?

The survey also outlined which industries were the most frequent users of fire extinguishers. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, manufacturing and industrial environments were among the sectors that most commonly used fire extinguishers. 

These sectors accounted for the highest proportion of fires: 

• Factories – 21% 
• Garages – 15% 
• Waste management – 4.5%

But more surprisingly, alongside these, were commercial workplaces and offices, retail and hospitality settings. 

• Restaurants and pubs – 15% 
• Retail shops and stores – 11% 
• Entertainment facilities – 5.5% 

As sites in these sectors often contain electrical equipment and combustible materials, they have a significantly higher risk of fires starting on site. The report’s data illustrates a clear need for fire safety training and equipment in these site types, in particular. 

What caught fire most often?

Another interesting data point from the survey was exploring what item types most commonly caused fires.

According to the report, the two most common items were electrical machinery and waste bins, each representing 12% of fires surveyed (24% in total). 

The other item types that were the most common root causes of fires were:

• Plant equipment
• Electrical equipment
• Cooking appliances
• Combustible materials

Fire extinguisher servicing and training

This report clearly illustrated how effectively fire extinguishers are tackling fires (and preventing them from escalating to major events) in real workplaces across the UK. 

However, it also highlighted numerous critical points about workplace fire safety. One of the most surprising findings was the lack of training around fire extinguishers. 

The fact that only around half of users had formal training shows a clear opportunity for improvement. 

At Target Fire, we provide comprehensive fire extinguisher services, including expert-led fire extinguisher training courses. 

We support employers across the UK, delivering dependable and practical workplace fire safety training, to ensure their teams know when it is safe to tackle a fire; how to select the correct extinguisher; and how to use extinguishers effectively. 

To find out more about our fire extinguisher services, or to arrange fire extinguisher training for your site, don’t hesitate to get in touch.