Developed in collaboration with KIWA and the Royal Netherlands standardisation Institute, the NTA 8133 technical guideline is currently the only standard in place to test the performance of portable fire extinguishers on Lithium-ion battery fires.
The number(s) represents the square footage of an ignited flammable liquid fire that the extinguisher can be expected to safely control, when used by a trained person (e.g., 2BC means the extinguisher can control 2 ft (0.6 m) of a flammable liquid fire). Class C, D, and K extinguishers do not have numeric ratings.
Portable fire extinguishers should only be used on individual small rechargeable, portable devices and other commonly used electronic goods (such as laptops, mobile phones, e-cigarettes, power tools etc.) containing Lithium-Ion batteries which have been disconnected from mains power.
There are several diferent types and sizes of fire extinguishers (hereinafter referred to as “extinguishers”) available. Selection of the wrong type of extinguisher may result in inefective fire control or expose the user to other hazards. This handout provides general guidance on selecting and distributing extinguishers.
Class K extinguishers are used to control kitchen fire exposures. While other classes of extinguishers may proved some fire control, Class K extinguishers are designed to control fires in grease and fats, which typically are dificult to control using “conventional” ABC extinguishers. The final step is to select an appropriately sized extinguisher.
The number ratings for a Class A extinguisher compares the efectiveness of the extinguisher to that of 1 gal (3.8 L) of water on a small pile of wood. For example, a 2A extinguisher can extinguish twice as much fire as a 1A extinguisher, which is equal to that of 1 gal (3.8 L) of water.