Classifying Fires
When deciding on what fire protection is appropriate for any given situation, it is important to assess the types of fire hazard that may be faced.
Some jurisdictions operate systems of classifying fires using code letters. Whilst these may agree on some classifications, they also vary. Below is a table showing the standard operated in Europe and Australia against the system used in the United States.
| Type of Fire | Australia | European | North America |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fires that involve flammable solids such as wood, cloth, rubber, paper, and some types of plastics. | Class A | Class A | Class A |
| Fires that involve flammable liquids or liquefiable solids such as petrol/gasoline, oil, paint, some waxes & plastics, but not cooking fats or oils | Class B | Class B | Class B |
| Fires that involve flammable gases, such as natural gas, hydrogen, propane, butane | Class C | Class C | |
| Fires that involve combustible metals, such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium | Class D | Class D | Class D |
| Fires that involve any of the materials found in Class A and B fires, but with the introduction of an electrical appliances, wiring, or other electrically energized objects in the vicinity of the fire, with a resultant electrical shock risk if a conductive agent is used to control the fire. | Class E1 | (Class E) now no longer in the European standards | Class C |
| Fires involving cooking fats and oils. The high temperature of the oils when on fire far exceeds that of other flammable liquids making normal extinguishing agents ineffective. | Class F | Class F | Class K |
1
Fires are sometimes categorized as "one alarm", "two alarm", "three alarm" (or higher) fires. There is no standard definition for what this means quantifiably, though it always refers to the level response by the local authorities. In some cities, the numeric rating refers to the number of fire stations that have been summoned to the fire. In others, the number counts the number of "dispatches" for additional personnel and equipment.
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