GREENSBORO, N.C. — If there was a fire in your house—maybe it’s something on the stove, or it’s the dryer vent---where would you go to grab the fire extinguisher?
For a lot of us, the answer is to the back of a cabinet somewhere or maybe even the cabinets over the stove. Putting yourself in danger or wasting time to find the extinguisher is not what you want.
Chances are you need more than one fire extinguisher especially if you have more than one floor. Fire experts recommend having your fire extinguisher no more than 10 feet from the kitchen, in the laundry room, and garage.
Mount the extinguisher in its bracket in a convenient location and in plain sight (3.5 to 5 feet) above the ground to prevent damage to it and so it's out of the reach of small children.
"Read the instructions and familiarize yourself with your fire extinguisher before there is an emergency. You don't want the first time you ever handle it to be when there's an actual fire to put out," said Ryan Felton, Consumer Reports.
Check your extinguisher and the dial at the top. It should always be in the green zone, if it's not, replace it. While you're at it, turn the extinguisher over, and check the manufacture date. If it's older than 12 years, replace it.
When you're shopping for your next extinguisher, there are all kinds and all price points. Whatever you pick, you need to remember the ABCs.
“You want to have the most common type of fire extinguisher which will be an ABC fire extinguisher. This will extinguish the three types of common fires, wood and paper are Class A, Class B is flammable liquids, and Class C is
electrical fires,” said Alider Pratts, Fire and Rescue Chief.