What's a Class F Fire And What's The Best Fire Extinguisher For It
What Extinguisher Types Are Class F Fire Extinguishers?
While Class F fires do involve flammable liquids, Class B fire extinguishers are insufficient for dealing with high-temperature cooking oil and grease fires in kitchens.
It's also important to remember that using water to extinguish a cooking oil or grease fire will only spread it because the oil is not absorbed by the water but rather transported by it. Never use water to extinguish a grease or oil fire.
Only Class F fire extinguishers are suitable for Class F fires and should be kept on hand at all times in a commercial kitchen. These extinguishers employ extinguishing agents that separate the fuel from the oxygen and aid in heat absorption.
The Wet Chemical fire extinguisher is currently the only effective Class F extinguisher. These extinguishers use a wet mist containing an alkaline mixture, such as potassium carbonate, potassium acetate, or potassium citrate, which interacts with the cooking media (oil, grease, or fat) to create a type of foam that blankets the oil or grease, cooling it and preventing oxygen from entering it. The extinguishing agent effectively extinguishes the fire while also lowering the risk of re-ignition.
In addition to extinguishing Class F fires, Class F fire extinguishers can put out a Class A fire that started in the kitchen as a result of the Class F fire. Even if the flames spread to Class A fire materials in the kitchen, a Class F extinguisher should be able to extinguish them.
