The first step in using a fire extinguisher is deciding whether to use one at all. An extinguisher is only for a small fire, and only once the alarm has been raised, you have a clear escape route behind you and you are holding the right type for what is burning. If any of those is missing, leave, close the door behind you and call 999. If they are all in place, the technique most trainers teach is PASS: Pull the pin, Aim low at the base of the fire, Squeeze the lever and Sweep across the fire until it is out.
At a glance: Nexis CPD offers a £9 CPD-accredited online Fire Extinguisher Awareness course — 100% online, with an instantly emailed, employer-verifiable certificate. Any three courses cost £18.
This guide is about using an extinguisher, not choosing one. For colour bands, fire classes and what each type is rated for, see our guide to fire extinguisher types.
Should you use a fire extinguisher at all?
Often the honest answer is no, and that is not a failure. London Fire Brigade’s guidance note on hand-held portable firefighting equipment (GN08) says extinguishers should only be used for small, contained fires, that evacuation should be prioritised, and that staff should wait for the fire and rescue service where using an extinguisher is not safe for them.
The government’s guide to making small non-domestic premises safe from fire is just as plain: if in doubt, employees should not put themselves or anyone else at risk, but raise the alarm, leave the premises and call the fire and rescue service.
Before you pick up an extinguisher, run a quick go/no-go check. Every answer must be yes:
- Has the alarm been raised? Shout “Fire!”, operate a call point, or make sure someone has.
- Is the fire small and contained? A waste bin or a small pile of paper, not a fire already spreading to furniture, walls or the ceiling.
- Is your escape route clear and behind you? The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in its guidance on extinguisher use, says never let the fire, heat or smoke come between you and your way out.
- Is the air still safe? If smoke is building, visibility is dropping or you are coughing, the fire is past what a portable extinguisher is for.
- Do you have the right extinguisher, and do you know how to use it? The wrong type can make a fire worse.
- Are you trained and expected to do this? Your fire procedures should say who, if anyone, tackles a fire.
Any “no” means leave. Close doors behind you if you can do it without delay, go to the assembly point and call 999. An extinguisher is first-aid firefighting: it buys time at the very start of a fire and is never a reason to stay in a building that is becoming dangerous.
Leaving is also the normal response. Home Office figures on fires involving fire extinguisher use show the public used an extinguisher in 7% (4,828) of the 68,757 primary fires attended by fire and rescue services in England in the year ending March 2020. That only counts fires the fire service attended, but in most of them, nobody had used an extinguisher.
What does PASS stand for on a fire extinguisher?
PASS is a memory aid for the four actions of using most portable extinguishers:
- Pull the safety pin out of the handle, which also breaks the tamper seal.
- Aim low, pointing the hose, nozzle or horn at the base of the fire.
- Squeeze the lever to release the extinguishing agent.
- Sweep from side to side across the base of the fire until it appears to be out.
That wording follows OSHA’s guidance, an official source that sets the acronym out in full. OSHA is a US agency, but PASS is widely taught by UK trainers. UK fire and rescue services tend to describe the same actions in plain words: Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s fire extinguisher advice tells users to point the jet at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire.
The part many courses skip is that PASS is a starting point, not a universal rule. “Aim at the base and sweep” suits water, CO2 and dry powder on most fires. It is wrong for foam on a pool of burning liquid, and it does not describe how a wet chemical extinguisher is used on a deep fat fryer. Those differences are covered below.
How do you use a fire extinguisher step by step?
Once every point of the go/no-go check is a yes, this is the sequence. The instructions on your own extinguisher and your workplace’s fire procedures always come first.
- Raise the alarm first, and make sure someone is calling 999. Never delay the alarm to try the extinguisher “just in case”.
- Choose the right extinguisher. Read the coloured band and label. If you cannot quickly tell it is suitable, do not use it.
- Check it is ready. Any pressure gauge should be within its marked operating range. A missing pin or broken seal can mean it has been used.
- Carry it upright by the carrying handle, not by the hose or horn.
- Position yourself with your exit at your back, a few metres from the fire, out of the smoke and within the range shown on the label.
- Pull the pin, keeping the extinguisher pointed away from you and other people.
- Aim at the base of the fire, at the burning fuel, not the flames above it.
- Squeeze the lever firmly and steadily. Some extinguishers stop when you let go; others keep discharging until empty.
- Sweep across the fire, moving closer as the flames shrink, and adapt the technique to the extinguisher type.
- Back away and watch. OSHA advises backing away from an extinguished fire in case it flares up again. Never turn your back on it.
- Leave if it is not working, if the extinguisher runs out, or if smoke or heat increases, closing the door behind you.
- Report it to the person in charge of fire safety, even if you think the fire is out.
How far away should you stand when using a fire extinguisher?
There is no single safe distance, and the UK guidance reviewed for this article does not set one. It depends on the size and type of extinguisher and the size of the fire. OSHA says to discharge an extinguisher within its effective range, which is limited, so check the label on yours.
In practice, start a few metres back, where you can feel the heat but it is not uncomfortable, and move closer as the fire dies down. If you have to get so close that the heat is painful, the fire is too big. A few points matter more than the exact distance:
- Exit behind you, so you can step straight back without turning round or passing the fire.
- Stay low enough to avoid smoke but able to move. Kneeling in front of a fire makes retreat harder.
- Outdoors, keep the wind behind you, carrying the agent towards the fire and the smoke away from you.
- Never walk into a room filling with smoke to reach a fire. Close the door on it and leave.
Why should you aim at the base of the fire?
Because the base is where the fuel is. The flames are burning gases rising off whatever is alight. Spraying them does little to the fuel feeding them, so the fire carries on. Aiming low puts the agent on the burning material, which is what cools or smothers it.
Both OSHA and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service say to aim at the base of the flames and keep the discharge moving across the whole fire, because an untreated edge can reignite the rest. Once the flames are out, keep watching: upholstery, bedding and stacked paper can smoulder inside and flare up after the surface looks clear.
How does technique change for each type of extinguisher?
UK extinguishers have red bodies with a coloured band: red for water, cream for foam, black for CO2, blue for dry powder and yellow for wet chemical. Our fire extinguisher types guide explains which fires each suits. The techniques below follow Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s “how to use” advice for each type.
Water
Point the jet at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the fire until every part is out. Water suits burning wood, paper and fabric. Never use it on burning fat or oil, or on electrical appliances.
Foam
On burning solids, use foam like water. On burning liquids, do not aim the jet straight into the liquid, which can splash burning fuel. If the liquid is in a container, aim at the inside edge of the container or a nearby surface above the liquid, and let the foam build up and flow across it. Never use foam on a chip pan or fat pan fire.
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Direct the horn at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the fire. Do not hold the horn: it gets extremely cold during discharge and can cause cold burns, so hold the extinguisher by its handle and, where there is one, the handgrip on the hose. Expect a loud noise when it starts. CO2 cools poorly, so watch for the fire restarting, and because it can be harmful in confined spaces, ventilate the area once the fire is controlled.
Dry powder
Point the jet or horn at the base of the flames and, with a rapid sweeping motion, drive the fire towards the far edge until all the flames are out. If it has a shut-off control, let the air clear and attack again if flames remain. Powder can suddenly reduce visibility and affect breathing, so Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service advises it should generally not be used indoors unless a risk assessment supports it.
Wet chemical
Wet chemical is for cooking oil and fat fires, such as a deep fat fryer. Turn off the heat first if it is safe to do so. Use the extended applicator to apply the agent in slow, gentle circular movements over the burning oil until the surface turns into a soap-like layer, which helps stop it reigniting. The gentle application stops hot oil splashing onto you, so never sweep it hard across the fryer.
What should you never use on an electrical or cooking oil fire?
Never use water on burning fat or oil or on live electrical equipment, and never use foam on a chip pan or fat pan fire. The government’s Fire Safety in the Home guide gives the same message for a pan fire: turn off the heat if it is safe and never throw water over it.
For electrical fires, isolate the power first if you can do so safely. Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service describes CO2 as suited to live electrical equipment when the supply cannot be isolated. For a commercial kitchen, the government’s small premises guide says a fire blanket and a Class F extinguisher should be provided where there are fat fryers. If a fire has spread beyond the fryer into the extraction or the room, it is no longer one for a hand-held extinguisher.
What should you do if the fire does not go out?
Stop and leave. OSHA notes that a portable extinguisher can be emptied in a matter of seconds, and says to evacuate immediately if it is empty and the fire is not out, or if the fire grows beyond its early stage. Time to go if:
- the fire is not getting smaller within the first few seconds;
- it has spread to furniture, walls, the ceiling or another room;
- smoke is thickening or the heat is forcing you back;
- your escape route is getting harder to reach;
- the extinguisher has run out.
As you leave, close doors behind you if you can without delay, to slow the spread of fire and smoke. At the assembly point, make sure 999 has been called and tell the person in charge where the fire is and what you used on it. Do not go back in for a second extinguisher or belongings. In our view, unless you are a trained fire marshal or warden acting under a plan that expects it, a fire that survives one extinguisher is no longer a small fire.
What should you do after using a fire extinguisher?
- Make sure the fire is really out. Watch for smouldering or reignition. If there is any doubt, the fire and rescue service should attend.
- Ventilate after CO2 or powder indoors, and keep people out until the area has cleared.
- Report it to your manager or the person responsible for fire safety: what burned, which extinguisher you used and whether anyone was hurt.
- Do not put a used extinguisher back on its bracket, even after a short burst, as it may not have enough agent or pressure for the next fire. London Fire Brigade’s GN08 says user checks should confirm each extinguisher has not been operated.
- Get it recharged or replaced by a competent person. GN08 says basic servicing should be done annually by a competent person, with extended servicing, including discharging and recharging, under British Standard BS 5306-3. Put a replacement in place straight away.
- Review what happened, including whether the fire risk assessment needs updating.
Between incidents, GN08 lists simple user checks: each extinguisher is in its place, its instructions are legible, it has not been used or damaged, any gauge is within limits, and seals and tamper indicators are intact. The government’s small premises guide suggests a monthly visual check, with inspection and testing by a competent contractor every year.
Does UK law require employees to use a fire extinguisher?
No. There is no law requiring every employee to use a fire extinguisher. In England and Wales the duties sit with the “responsible person”, usually the employer, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005:
- Article 13: where necessary, premises must have appropriate firefighting equipment, and non-automatic equipment such as extinguishers must be easily accessible, simple to use and indicated by signs. Where necessary, the responsible person must nominate competent persons to carry out firefighting measures and make sure their number, training and equipment are adequate.
- Article 21: all employees must get adequate safety training when they start and when their risks change, repeated periodically where appropriate. This is general fire safety training; it does not say every employee must be trained to fight fires.
- Article 17: equipment must be maintained in efficient working order and good repair.
- Article 23: employees must take reasonable care, co-operate with their employer and report serious dangers and shortcomings in fire safety arrangements.
The government’s fire safety risk assessment guide for small and medium places of assembly says people with no training should not be expected to attempt to extinguish a fire, but all staff should know where the equipment is and its basic operating procedures, with more comprehensive training for people such as fire marshals. London Fire Brigade’s GN08 says the same.
So the employer decides, through the fire risk assessment, whether anyone is expected to tackle a fire and what training they need. Everyone else needs to know where extinguishers are, roughly how they work and, above all, when not to use one. Our guides to fire safety training and UK law and how many fire wardens you need cover those duties further.
Scotland has the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006; Northern Ireland has the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can you learn to use a fire extinguisher online?
You can learn the knowledge online: the go/no-go decision, fire classes, which extinguisher to use, the PASS technique and how it changes by type, and what to do afterwards. That knowledge is what lets most staff make the right call, which is usually to raise the alarm and leave.
What an online course cannot give you is the feel of a real extinguisher: its weight, the noise of a CO2 discharge and how quickly it empties. If your fire risk assessment expects people such as fire marshals or wardens to tackle fires, they need practical training with real extinguishers from a competent trainer. Online awareness training is a sound foundation and refresher, not a substitute for that.
Which courses help with fire extinguisher training?
These three £9 courses work well together for staff, supervisors and nominated fire wardens, each with a verifiable certificate:
- Fire Extinguisher Awareness — the fire triangle, UK fire classifications, extinguisher types and colour coding, using an extinguisher safely with the PASS technique, fire blankets and the decision whether to tackle a fire at all.
- Fire Safety Awareness — fire safety legislation, how fire starts and spreads, preventing fire and acting safely, including the five-step fire risk assessment and emergency procedures.
- Fire Warden Fire Marshal — the same fire safety foundations plus the day-to-day and emergency duties of a fire warden or fire marshal.
Any three courses cost £18 with the pay-for-2-get-3 offer. Add them to the cart and the discount applies automatically. These are awareness courses: CPD accredited, but not regulated qualifications, and not a substitute for hands-on extinguisher training on a live fire where your fire risk assessment calls for it.
Where can you learn more about using a fire extinguisher?
Nexis CPD’s Fire Extinguisher Awareness course gives staff a plain-English grounding in when to use an extinguisher, when not to, and how to use each type safely.
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18. It is awareness training: it does not replace practical training with real extinguishers on a live fire.
Frequently asked questions
What does PASS stand for on a fire extinguisher?
Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep: pull the pin, aim low at the base of the fire, squeeze the lever and sweep from side to side until the fire is out. Foam on burning liquids and wet chemical on cooking oil need a gentler, different technique.
When should you not use a fire extinguisher?
When the alarm has not been raised, the fire is more than a small contained fire, your escape route is not clear behind you, smoke is building, or you are unsure the extinguisher is the right type. Leave, close the door and call 999.
Where should you aim a fire extinguisher?
At the base of the fire, where the fuel is burning, keeping the discharge moving across the whole fire. The exceptions are foam on a burning liquid, aimed at the inside edge of the container, and wet chemical, applied gently over the oil.
Why should you not hold the horn on a CO2 extinguisher?
The horn gets extremely cold during discharge and can cause cold burns. Hold the extinguisher by its handle instead. CO2 can also be harmful in confined spaces, so ventilate the area afterwards.
Can you put a used fire extinguisher back on the wall?
No. Even a short burst can leave too little agent or pressure for the next fire. Report it and have it recharged or replaced by a competent person, with a replacement put in its place straight away.
Does every employee have to be trained to use a fire extinguisher?
No. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires appropriate firefighting equipment and, where necessary, competent persons nominated and trained to use it. Government guidance says untrained people should not be expected to tackle a fire, but all staff should know where extinguishers are.
This article is general information about using portable fire extinguishers in UK workplaces and is not legal advice. Always follow the instructions on your own extinguishers, your workplace’s fire procedures and your fire risk assessment. Fire safety law differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited awareness training, not regulated qualifications, and do not replace hands-on practical training with real extinguishers. If there is a fire and you are in any doubt, raise the alarm, get out and call 999.