How to Use a Fire Extinguisher: The PASS Method

Before you touch the lever, look at the label on the side of the extinguisher. The unit Louis uses in this demo is a 3A:40-B:C, which means it works on ordinary combustibles like wood and paper (A), flammable liquids like grease and gasoline (B), and live electrical fires (C). That ABC rating is the all-purpose one you want for a home or kitchen.

Have someone call 911 the moment a fire starts, even if you plan to use the extinguisher. Only fight a fire that is smaller than a wastebasket and only when you have a clear path out behind you. If you cannot see the back wall of the fire or the smoke fills the ceiling, leave the building.

Approach the fire with the extinguisher held upright and stop 6 to 8 feet away. That distance is the sweet spot for the discharge stream on a typical home unit. Too close and the recoil scatters burning material; too far and the agent dissipates before it reaches the fire.

Position yourself so your back is to the exit, never with the fire between you and the door. If you are outdoors, check that the wind is at your back so the extinguishing agent reaches the flames and the heat blows away from you instead of into your face.

Grip the extinguisher around the body with one hand. With the other hand, grab the metal ring at the top and pull the safety pin straight out. The pin breaks the plastic tamper seal and unlocks the lever. Set the pin aside or drop it - you do not need it again.

Important timing detail: you only have about 13 to 15 seconds of discharge once you start, so do not pull the pin until you are already in position and ready to fight the fire. Pulling early and then walking 20 feet to the kitchen wastes nothing, but pulling the pin and then fumbling for the lever wastes seconds you do not have.

Point the nozzle low, at the base of the flames where the fuel is actually burning. This is the step most beginners get wrong. The instinct is to aim at the flames themselves, but flames are just the visible reaction. They keep regenerating from the fuel underneath as fast as you can knock them down.

Aim at the source - the burning paper, the pooled grease, the smoldering couch cushion. Keep the extinguisher upright so the dip tube stays submerged in the agent, and grip the hose or nozzle firmly so the recoil when you squeeze does not throw your aim off.

Squeeze the top lever down against the carry handle with steady pressure. A slow even squeeze gives you a controlled stream that you can aim. A panicked yank wastes agent and the recoil tips the can off target.

The agent comes out as a thick white plume that knocks the oxygen and the heat off the fire. Keep squeezing - do not pulse the lever, because the on-off bursts let the fire re-ignite between shots. You committed to using the extinguisher; commit to emptying it.

While you keep the lever squeezed, sweep the nozzle in slow side-to-side passes across the base of the fire. The goal is to coat the entire burning surface, not just punch a hole in one spot. Move from one edge to the other and back, working closer as the flames die down.

When the fire looks out, stay back and watch it for at least 30 seconds. Re-ignition is common because hot fuel surfaces flash again the moment the agent cloud thins. If anything flares up, hit it again. Then back out the way you came in and let the fire department confirm it is fully out.

One extinguisher in the garage is not enough. The NFPA recommends an ABC unit on every level of the home, mounted so you never have to travel more than 40 feet to reach one. Put units in or near the kitchen, the laundry room, the garage, and any patio or grill area.

Check the pressure gauge once a month. The needle should sit dead-center in the green zone. If it has drifted into red, the unit has lost pressure and will not discharge fully. Replace a disposable home extinguisher every 12 years, sooner if the gauge drops or the body shows damage. Larger rechargeable units should be professionally inspected once a year - look for the punched inspection tag on the side.