Home Fire Extinguisher FAQ

An important component of many Community Risk Reduction programs are home visits, conducted by fire department line personnel. NFPA 1452 serves as a guide for how fire departments should conduct these CRR home visits. Part of this guide refers to the presence of home fire extinguishing methods such as fire extinguishers. Many homeowners may not be aware of the value or use of these tools. It is important that firefighters know the answers to common questions regarding household fire extinguishers.

1. What type, rating, and how many extinguishers are needed?
2. How much will an extinguisher cost?
3. Where should fire extinguishers be located and mounted?
4. How are fire extinguishers operated and maintained?

NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers provides the answers to these questions.

What type, rating and how many are needed?

NFPA 10, chapter 5 outlines the requirements for the “selection of portable fire extinguishers”.   Selection should be based on the following:

• Type of fire most likely to occur (based on classifications, below)
• Size of fire most likely to occur
• Hazards in the area where the fire may occur
• Energized electrical equipment in the vicinity of the fire
• Ambient temperature conditions

Type of fire most likely to occur will determine the classification of extinguisher that is needed.

How much will it cost?

Homeowners can expect to pay $20 - $50 for a suitable fire extinguisher.  These can be purchased at retail stores or online at sites like, Home Depot, Walmart, or Amazon.

Where should fire extinguishers be located?

Extinguishers should be located in areas that have the greatest potential for fire, such as the kitchen, garage, and laundry room.  Extinguishers are to be mounted on the provided bracket at least 4” from the floor, but no higher than 5’ to the top of the handle.  Extinguishers should accessible, visible, and within the normal path of travel to an exit.

How are extinguishers operated and maintained?

Extinguishers should be visually inspected, at least monthly, to determine that the unit is in its appropriate location, is accessible, and the gauge is within operational limits.  The manufacturers inspection/testing/maintenance recommendations should be followed.

Extinguishers can be operated using the P.A.S.S. method.

Related Posts:

• Engaging Firefighters in Community Risk Reduction
• Conducting Home Visits
• Developing Public Education Programs

Conducting Home Visits

The most important component of community risk reduction (CRR) is strategic contact with the public. A strategic contact consists or much more than handing out stickers or plastic hats at the mall.  The strategic contact is a contact made that meets the objectives of the communities CRR plan, and is immediately beneficial to the person contacted.  This can most effectively happen in fire department home visits. 

The purpose of the home visit is to make residents and home owners aware of any fire hazards that may be present in the home, and ensure that smoke and CO alarms are installed. These visits and reports should be considered confidential. It is not the intent of the home visit to "punish" the resident, or cause problems within their community.

NFPA 1452, Guide for Training Fire Service Personnel to Conduct Community Risk Reduction, outlines some basic factors for conducting home visits and provides an example home visit form. This information and form can be found in Chapter 11 and Annex A of the document.  The form example provided is basic. A Google search will turn up multiple home visit articles and resources. However, there are two that are ready-made, and freely available that I would recommend.

Fire Department and Community Survey

This documentation packet includes a form that a fire department can use to assess the communities risk reduction needs. It also includes a great questionnaire for individual properties.

Fire-Ed also offers a free, 5-part e-mail series that provides a blueprint for bringing proven fire and life safety education to your community.  You can sign up for this, here --> http://bit.ly/FireEdBlueprint

CRR Home Safety Visit Questionnaire

InspectionReportsOnline.net provides a free PDF home visit form.  This form can be filled out electronically, or they can be printed and completed manually. This home visit form is more extensive and includes the ability to submit the results directly to Vision 20/20.