FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14475, 2 October 1912, Page 4

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

f . A WORD OF WARNING. (special to "thu press.")' WELLINGTON, October 1. Th© Inspector of Firo Brigades, in his annual rei>ort to Die Minister of Internal Affairs, says a word of warning is necessary in reference to hand chemieai extinct.*urs: "There is now a largo number cf them in New Zealand," says Mr Hugo, "and I have come across them supposedly ready for service in all sorts of conditions, some absolutely empty, others half-full, and others with no soda in the water, etc. Also I iiave seen several cylinders that have burst when seeking to discharge them, in two cases with a narrow es'..ipe from a bad accident. Elsewhere scrjous injury lias been done from this cause. These extincteurs have abundantly proved their value, but if they are to l*e of service when tlie emergency arises, a little care is necessary, and to that end tho following precautions should be adopted :—The extineteurs should be periodically discharged and refilled: when discharging, everybody connected with the premises, male or female, young or old", should witness the operation at least once, so that they may become familiar with the process—in instantaneous use lies its greatest value. Before discharging, the cylinder should be thoroughly washed out, for the purpose, of removing any trace of acid that might remain. When charging, care must bo taken that tho soda is thoroughly dissolved, distilled water is best for the Purpose, otherwise the soda may cry_talize, and so stop the vent, with tha result that if there should be any weakness in the cylinder itself, caused by corrosion or heing of poor quality, etc., an explosion follows. "When recharging see that the cylinder vent, tho hose and the, iiozz!© are clear of any obstruction. Do not forget to put the charge of acid in its place. If the suggested precautions are observed tho CO. 2 extincteur will do a fair proportion of what Is claimed for it."