Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

PASS the fire extinguisher

Mobile fire-safety service to the rescue

Kitchen fire
Kitchen fire

I managed to put out a grease fire in my kitchen this week by smothering it, but it got me spooked ­— and thinking about fire extinguishers.

Jari Wolfe is director of sales and chief of operations at SOCAL State Fire Protection (619-900-6910; socalfireservice.com). “We’re a mobile fire-safety service,” she explained. “We come out to homes, boats, and businesses. In my experience, about a third of people who want a fire extinguisher in their home want it for the kitchen because they cook a lot. The rest want them because of their hobbies. They work on classic cars and have oil cans lying around, or they have wood shops with lacquer in them — things that increase the risk of fire.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

For a hobby workshop, said Wolfe, “you might want an ABC dry chemical extinguisher [$39.87 for 2.5 lbs., $59.40 for 5 lbs., $89.99 for 10 lbs.]. That covers the most types. But sometimes, you want specific extinguishers for specific types of fires. Typically, for a kitchen, you get a K class extinguisher [$189.99, 2 liters]. The ‘k’ stands for ‘kitchen,’ and it’s designed for grease fires — animal fats and oils. If you have an electrical server room in your home, or if you run a lot of computers in one space in your home, you would want a halotron extinguisher [$137.50]. It’s filled with compressed argon gas, which dissipates, so there’s no dry chemical residue to corrode or destroy mechanical or electrical components. You’d also want one of those on a boat if you had an engine fire — a dry chemical extinguisher would destroy the engine. If you do welding, you may want a D class extinguisher [$455.59]. It has an extension application to keep the operator away from extreme heat.”

Wolfe told me that “as far as maintenance, it’s a good idea to get the extinguisher checked annually. We give you a call 30 days prior to the year’s expiration to schedule a visit [$29.99–$34.95, depending on distance].”

David Pulvers, owner of All County Fire in Normal Heights (619-284-4770; allcountyfire.com), offers mobile as well as walk-in service.

It’s not pretty, but keep it accessible

“We sell and recharge extinguishers; do fire-alarm maintenance, installation, and service; fire-hose sales and testing, fire-code compliance, emergency exit signals, and old extinguisher recycling.” He’s a big fan of home extinguishers, even though, he says, “I’m told by firefighters that the number of house fires is low. And we go out and recharge extinguishers every week. That means little fires are being put out with extinguishers so that the fire department doesn’t have to be called.” And even though “they’re not pretty, they should be kept in an easily accessible place near an exit. If your kitchen is adjacent to your garage, you could keep it just on the other side of the door.”

“If you’re going to have just one extinguisher,” said Pulvers, “get an ABC dry chemical, which discharges a silicon powder. ‘A’ stands for wood or ordinary combustibles, ‘B’ is for flammable liquids, and ‘C’ is electrical. Those are the main classes of fire. I’d say get a minimum of five pounds at $50–$60, but if you can handle bigger, get the ten-pound for $75–$85. You get so much more bang for your buck.”

Pulver also strongly suggests an “industrial-quality” extinguisher over “something you’d get at a Home Depot–type store. They’re made of superior materials, and the action of the handle is smoother. And we can replace parts on the industrial ones but not the consumer ones. Extinguishers need recharging every six years, and they cannot be recharged without changing out certain parts.” All County Fire charges $14 for in-store recharging,” and that covers an annual visual inspection as well. We check the weight, the pressure, and see if it has any dents. If it needs its 12-year pressure-test inspection, we’re able to do that as well.”

Before I left, Pulvers told me that, “another big part of what we do is fire-safety training. Businesses are required to have annual training in fire safety, and we’ll do both classroom work and a live fire test. We teach people the PASS method, which stands for pull the pin, aim, squeeze, and sweep. Once someone has put out a real fire, they realize that it’s not that difficult and they’re less intimidated.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

La Clochette brings croissants—and cassoulet—to Mission Valley

Whatever's going on with this bakery business, Civita Park residents get a decent meal
Kitchen fire
Kitchen fire

I managed to put out a grease fire in my kitchen this week by smothering it, but it got me spooked ­— and thinking about fire extinguishers.

Jari Wolfe is director of sales and chief of operations at SOCAL State Fire Protection (619-900-6910; socalfireservice.com). “We’re a mobile fire-safety service,” she explained. “We come out to homes, boats, and businesses. In my experience, about a third of people who want a fire extinguisher in their home want it for the kitchen because they cook a lot. The rest want them because of their hobbies. They work on classic cars and have oil cans lying around, or they have wood shops with lacquer in them — things that increase the risk of fire.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

For a hobby workshop, said Wolfe, “you might want an ABC dry chemical extinguisher [$39.87 for 2.5 lbs., $59.40 for 5 lbs., $89.99 for 10 lbs.]. That covers the most types. But sometimes, you want specific extinguishers for specific types of fires. Typically, for a kitchen, you get a K class extinguisher [$189.99, 2 liters]. The ‘k’ stands for ‘kitchen,’ and it’s designed for grease fires — animal fats and oils. If you have an electrical server room in your home, or if you run a lot of computers in one space in your home, you would want a halotron extinguisher [$137.50]. It’s filled with compressed argon gas, which dissipates, so there’s no dry chemical residue to corrode or destroy mechanical or electrical components. You’d also want one of those on a boat if you had an engine fire — a dry chemical extinguisher would destroy the engine. If you do welding, you may want a D class extinguisher [$455.59]. It has an extension application to keep the operator away from extreme heat.”

Wolfe told me that “as far as maintenance, it’s a good idea to get the extinguisher checked annually. We give you a call 30 days prior to the year’s expiration to schedule a visit [$29.99–$34.95, depending on distance].”

David Pulvers, owner of All County Fire in Normal Heights (619-284-4770; allcountyfire.com), offers mobile as well as walk-in service.

It’s not pretty, but keep it accessible

“We sell and recharge extinguishers; do fire-alarm maintenance, installation, and service; fire-hose sales and testing, fire-code compliance, emergency exit signals, and old extinguisher recycling.” He’s a big fan of home extinguishers, even though, he says, “I’m told by firefighters that the number of house fires is low. And we go out and recharge extinguishers every week. That means little fires are being put out with extinguishers so that the fire department doesn’t have to be called.” And even though “they’re not pretty, they should be kept in an easily accessible place near an exit. If your kitchen is adjacent to your garage, you could keep it just on the other side of the door.”

“If you’re going to have just one extinguisher,” said Pulvers, “get an ABC dry chemical, which discharges a silicon powder. ‘A’ stands for wood or ordinary combustibles, ‘B’ is for flammable liquids, and ‘C’ is electrical. Those are the main classes of fire. I’d say get a minimum of five pounds at $50–$60, but if you can handle bigger, get the ten-pound for $75–$85. You get so much more bang for your buck.”

Pulver also strongly suggests an “industrial-quality” extinguisher over “something you’d get at a Home Depot–type store. They’re made of superior materials, and the action of the handle is smoother. And we can replace parts on the industrial ones but not the consumer ones. Extinguishers need recharging every six years, and they cannot be recharged without changing out certain parts.” All County Fire charges $14 for in-store recharging,” and that covers an annual visual inspection as well. We check the weight, the pressure, and see if it has any dents. If it needs its 12-year pressure-test inspection, we’re able to do that as well.”

Before I left, Pulvers told me that, “another big part of what we do is fire-safety training. Businesses are required to have annual training in fire safety, and we’ll do both classroom work and a live fire test. We teach people the PASS method, which stands for pull the pin, aim, squeeze, and sweep. Once someone has put out a real fire, they realize that it’s not that difficult and they’re less intimidated.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

O’side Tree Lighting & Gift Market, Holiday Lights at the Museum, The Elovaters and Little Stranger

Events December 5-December 6, 2024
Next Article

Successor to Lillian Hellman and Carson McCullers

Crossword puzzles need headline
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader