Fire Protection Glossary
If you are confused by fire protection's jargon, this page might help you. We have collected some useful terms and provide them here in an alphabetic order. If something is amiss, please do not hesitate to let us know.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
ADDITIVE (fire extinguishers)
Chemical added to an extinguishing medium for such purposes as corrosion inhibition, freezing point depression, penetration, enhanced wetting, and film
or coating formation.
B
BASIC SERVICE (fire extinguishers)
Fire extinguisher service carried out by a competent person on (usually) 12-monthly basis with tolerance of ±1
month. The service includes gauge check (where fitted); external examination for corrosion, dents, gouges, UV damage or other damage; weighting of the
extinguisher; internal examination for corrosion, damaged protective lining (cartridge-operated only), examination of a cartridge (cartridge-operated
only); weighting of the cartridge (cartridge-operated only); examination of the powder for signs of caking (cartridge-operated only); cleaning of air
passages; gauge testing and patch; replacement of seals; examination of hose/horn for cracks; replacement of anti-tamper sealing ties, pins, clips;
signing extinguisher's service label and providing record in a relevant documentation. This is not a full list of instructions.
BODY (fire extinguishers)
Extinguisher or gas cartridge, excluding its accessories but including its welded parts.
BODY FITTINGS (fire extinguishers)
Those parts of an extinguisher that, under normal working conditions, are permanently attached to the body shell and are
subjected to the working pressure.
BODY SHELL (fire extinguishers)
Outer case of an extinguisher which usually comprises a cylindrical case with dished ends, and apertures which are fitted with components such as
nozzles, pressure gauges and closures.
C
CLASS A FIRE
Fires involving wood, paper, textiles, plastics and other organic
material. Class A fires should be extinguished with water, water with additive, foam, ABC powder and wet chemical fire extinguishers, fire hose reels
or fire blankets (waste bin or clothing fires).
CLASS B FIRE
Fires involving flammable liquids, such as spirits or petrol but not
cooking oils or alcohol. Class B fires should be extinguished with foam, carbon dioxide and ABC or BC powder fire extinguishers.
CLASS C FIRE
Fires involving flammable gases, such as methane. Class C fires should
be extinguished with ABC or BC powder fire extinguishers.
CLASS D FIRE
Fires involving flammable metals, such as sodium, magnesium, potassium,
lithium, aluminium etc. Class D fires should be extinguished with special fire extinguishers only (e.g. powder M28 or lithium L2). Use of a fire
extinguisher not suited for D class fires may cause explosion igniting surrounding material.
CLASS E FIRE
Electrical fires are sometimes mistakenly classified as class E, when in fact, such fires can involve fuel specific to
any class of fire.
CLASS F FIRE
Fires involving cooking oils (e.g. deep fat fryer or chip pan fires).
Class F fires should be extinguished with wet chemical fire extinguishers only. Use of a extinguisher not suited for F class fires may cause explosion.
CHARGE (fire extinguishers)
Mass or volume of extinguishing medium contained in an extinguisher. The charge of a water-based medium is expressed as a volume in litres. Charges for
other media are expressed as a mass in kilograms.
COMPARTMENT WALL OR FLOOR
Fire-resisting wall or floor used in the separation of one fire compartment from another.
COMPETENT PERSON
Person, suitably trained and qualified by knowledge and practical experience, and provided with the necessary instructions, to enable the required
task(s) to be carried out correctly.
D
DIRECTION OF ESCAPE
Direction at which occupants are expected to escape from the building to a place of ultimate
safety. The direction is usually indicated by “Fire exit” signs.
E
ELECTRICAL FIRES
Any class of fire (A, B, C, D or F) where the source of heat is an
electric current, or where the fire burns in close proximity to live electric parts. Electrical fires should be extinguished with carbon dioxide and ABC
or BC powder fire extinguishers. Some foam and water with additive fire extinguishers are safe for accidental use on electrical fires. Once it is
safe to do so, the equipment involved should be disconnected from power. Use of a fire extinguisher not suited for electrical fires may result in bodily
injury or death due to electrocution.
EMERGENCY LIGHTING
Lighting provided for use when the supply to the normal lighting fails.
EXTENDED SERVICE (fire extinguishers)
Fire extinguisher service carried out by the Competent Contractor on a 5-yearly basis with tolerance of
±1 month. The service includes test discharge, basic service with more rigorous
examination and recharge. Plastics headcap (if present) is replaced on this occasion.
EXTINGUISHING MEDIUM (fire extinguishers)
Substance contained in an extinguisher which causes extinction of a fire.
F
FINAL EXIT
Termination of an escape route from a building giving direct access to a street, passageway, walkway or open space,
and sited to enable the rapid dispersal of persons from the vicinity of a building so that they are no longer in danger from fire and/or smoke (see
place of ultimate safety).
FIRE DAMPER
Mechanical device that is operated automatically or manually and is designed to prevent the passage of fire and which, together with its frame, is
capable of meeting for a stated period of time the fire resistance criterion for integrity.
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT
Process of identification and documentation of fire hazards with purpose of their elimination.
G
GAS CARTRIDGE (fire extinguishers)
Pressure container that fits into, or is attached to, an extinguisher and that contains an expellant gas that, on operation of the extinguisher, expels
the extinguishing medium.
GAS CARTRIDGE EXTINGUISHER (fire extinguishers)
Extinguisher from which the extinguishing medium is expelled, on the actuation of the operating mechanism, by
pressure released from a gas cartridge.
H
I
IN-SERVICE TESTING (PAT)
Testing carried out as a routine to determine whether the equipment is in satisfactory
condition. It involves preliminary inspection, earth continuity tests (for
Class I equipment), insulation testing (sometimes substituted
with earth leakage measurement) and functional tests.
J
K
L
M
N
O
OCCUPANT
Any person (including the Responsible Person) who is lawfully on the premises.
P
PLACE OF ULTIMATE SAFETY
Place in which there is no immediate or future danger from fire or from the effects
of a fire.
PLACE OF RELATIVE SAFETY
Place in which there is no immediate danger, but in which there could be future danger,
from the effects of a fire.
PLASTICS HEADCAP (fire extinguishers)
Component manufactured from plastics designed to retain working pressure upon actuation of an extinguisher. This includes plastics headcaps retained by
a metal collar, but excludes metal headcaps which have a plastics shroud where the plastics component does not retain working pressure.
PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Extinguisher designed to be carried and operated by hand and which, in working order, has a mass of not more than 20 kg.
Q
R
RECHARGING (fire extinguishers)
Maintenance procedure carried out after complete or partial discharge of an extinguisher, or as part of a scheduled maintenance procedure, to restore
the extinguisher to its full operational condition.
REGULATORY REFORM (FIRE SAFETY) ORDER 2005
The main fire safety law which applies across England
and Wales and came into force on 1 October 2006. It defines terms such as Responsible Person and imposes a number fire
safety duties. See the RRFSO contents for more details.
RELEVANT PERSON
Any person (including the responsible person) who is lawfully on the premises and any person in the
vicinity of the premises who may be affected by a fire on the premises.
RESPONSIBLE PERSON
Any person with control, or a degree of control, over the premises or any of its parts. All
responsible persons are responsible for fire safety duties to the limit of their control. See
RRFSO article 3 for the definition.
RRFSO
An abbreviation for Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Abbreviations “RRO” or “FSO” are also quite common.
S
STORED PRESSURE EXTINGUISHER
Extinguisher from which the extinguishing medium is expelled, on the actuation of the operating mechanism, by
pressure stored within the body.
SMOKE DAMPER
Mechanical device which, when closed, restricts smoke passing through an aperture within a duct or structure.
T
TEST DISCHARGE (fire extinguishers)
Discharge of extinguishing medium under controlled conditions by, or under the supervision of, a
competent person.
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
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