INSIDE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER
These portable devices eliminate small fires before they rage out of control
WORDS ALISA HARVEY
Y ou might have seen the large cylinders secured to the walls of your school, distributed in the workplace or installed in your own home. These are fire extinguishers, pressurised devices designed to rapidly release water, gas or solid powder. In many countries, it is a legal requirement for private and public organisations to have them distributed around their buildings – and for good reason. When activated by squeezing the handle, fire extinguishers can put out around 80 per cent of all fires. When they aren’t installed within a short distance of any location, fires are more likely to continue to burn for longer, destroying buildings and in the worst instances taking people’s lives.