Fire Extinguisher Types: A Free Guide for UK Kitchens

What the guide shows

The guide sets out the five fire extinguisher types used across UK premises, each identified by the coloured band on its label. In the UK every extinguisher body is signal red; the band tells you what's inside. For each type it shows the fire classes it tackles, how it works, and — just as importantly — what it must not be used on.

The five types are: water (red band) for Class A solid materials such as wood, paper and textiles, which it puts out by cooling; foam (cream band) for Classes A and B, smothering the fire and cutting off oxygen; dry powder (blue band), a multi-purpose unit for Classes A, B and C that interrupts the combustion reaction; CO2 (black band) for Class B flammable liquids and electrical fires, which it puts out by displacing oxygen; and wet chemical (yellow band) for Class F cooking oils and fats, which it cools while forming a soapy layer that seals the surface.

Why it matters in a kitchen

A commercial kitchen packs the two riskiest fire types into one room: hot cooking oils and fats (Class F) and electrical equipment. Both are dangerous to fight with the wrong extinguisher. Throwing water onto burning oil makes it erupt violently, and water on live electrical equipment is a shock risk. The guide exists to make the right choice obvious before anyone has to make it under pressure.

UK fire classes are A, B, C, D and F — there is no Class E. Electrical fires aren't given a class letter because electricity is a source of ignition rather than a fuel; they're marked instead with an electrical spark symbol. The two extinguishers that matter most in a kitchen are wet chemical for fryers and oil, and CO2 for electrical equipment.

Fire safety in workplaces is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It requires the "responsible person" to carry out a fire risk assessment, provide and maintain suitable firefighting equipment, and make sure staff are trained. This guide supports that duty by helping staff recognise the equipment — but, to be clear, displaying a poster does not by itself make a business compliant. The risk assessment, the right equipment, maintenance and training are what count.

Where to keep extinguishers in a kitchen

Your fire risk assessment dictates the exact siting, but these are the usual zones in a food business:

• By the fryer and cooking range — a wet chemical extinguisher within easy reach of where oil fires start.
• Near electrical equipment — a CO2 extinguisher close to fridges, ovens and distribution boards.
• On escape routes and by exits — so staff pass equipment on the way out, never into the fire to reach it.
• Mounted on brackets at the correct height — off the floor, on the proper wall bracket or stand, with ID signage above.
• At a consistent point per area — predictable locations so staff know where to look without thinking.

Display the guide beside these points so the unit and the explanation are visible together.

Self-audit: is your kitchen fire-ready?

Being fire-ready takes two things — the right equipment in the right place, and people who know what to do with it. A perfect set of extinguishers is no use if nobody can pick the right one, and a well-trained team is stuck without the kit. Use this self-audit to reflect on both. Tick only the boxes that are reliably true — not "most of the time", but every time.

How to get the most from it

• Print it in colour. The bands are the whole point — a greyscale print loses the fastest way to identify each type.
• Laminate it. Kitchens are hot, greasy and damp; a laminated copy lasts and wipes clean.
• Put it where the extinguishers are. Next to the equipment it describes, not tucked in an office.
• Use it in induction. Walk new starters through the bands and the kitchen's two key units on day one.
• Pair it with real training. A poster builds recognition; a course builds the confidence to act safely.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to go further than a poster?

The guide helps staff recognise the right extinguisher. Proper training gives them the confidence to use it safely and covers the wider fire and health & safety duties your business has to meet.