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How to use a fire extinguisher, and pick the right one

In short: Only on a small fire, with everyone getting out, someone calling the emergency number and your exit behind you. Then PASS: pull the pin, aim low at the base, squeeze, sweep side to side. If it isn't out when the extinguisher is empty, leave and close the door.

Co-authored by Sonia Abu Bakar✓, MSc Botany

By 8 min readPublisher: Saadat Rafiq

Last updated: 31 October 2026References

Set preferred
Illustration of a woman in a marigold jumper aiming a red fire extinguisher low at a small fire in a kitchen bin, with the open kitchen door behind herIllustration

At a glance

Use it only if
The fire is small, everyone's getting out, help is called, your exit is clear (NFPA)
How
PASS: pull, aim low, squeeze, sweep
Lasts
About 10 to 20 seconds (East Dunbartonshire Council)
Never on a pan fire
Water, foam, CO2 or powder; only class F or K
For a home
At least 2-A:10-B:C in the US (NFPA); foam often advised in Germany (NDR)
After use
Refill or replace it, even if not empty (NFPA)
Checked
October 2026

A fire extinguisher can stop a small fire from becoming a house fire, but only in the first moments and only if it is the right type. Fire services in every country put getting out first. Below: how to tell the types apart, when it is safe to try, and the four moves to use it, with one example from a burning kitchen bin to a fire that's out.

If the fire is bigger than a waste bin, is spreading, or the room is filling with smoke, don't fight it. Get everyone out, close the doors behind you and call the emergency number: 999 in the UK, 112 in Germany and the EU, 911 in the US, Rescue 1122 in Pakistan. NFPA says to use an extinguisher only when the fire is small and not spreading quickly and you have a clear escape route. Get out, stay out (GOV.UK).

Where do you start?

No fire, you're buying or checking one

Pick and place it. Start at Part 1.

Small fire, right now

Decide in seconds. Go to Part 2.

A pan of oil is burning

Don't use an ordinary extinguisher. Go to Pan fires.

Our example: the fire in Amira's kitchen bin

Every step below follows one story, and each drawing shows that exact moment. Amira keeps a foam extinguisher on a bracket in her hallway. One evening a match she thought was out sets the paper in the kitchen bin alight. The flames are still lower than the rim of the bin. She gets her daughter out, takes the extinguisher and puts the fire out in seconds. One "what if" drawing shows why she would never point it at a burning pan.

Part 1: Before a fire: pick it, place it, check it

  1. Know the types by colour and letter.

    Illustration of five red fire extinguishers in a row, each with a different coloured band: red, cream, blue, black and yellow
    Illustration

    In our story: In the shop, Amira looks along a row of red extinguishers. Each has a different coloured band.

    In the UK and Europe the body is red, with a small coloured zone showing what's inside (London Fire Brigade): red water, cream foam, blue powder, black CO2, yellow wet chemical. The letters on the label matter more than the colour: A solids like wood, paper and fabric; B flammable liquids; C gases; F cooking oil and fat. In the US, the label shows a rating such as 2-A:10-B:C instead; the C there means electrical equipment (USFA).

    Type (UK band)Use it onNever on
    Water (red)Wood, paper, fabricBurning liquids, electrics, cooking oil (Derbyshire FRS)
    Foam (cream)Wood, paper, fabric and burning liquidsElectrics (not recommended), cooking oil (Derbyshire FRS)
    Powder (blue)Most fires, including electricalCooking oil. Indoors it can block your view and make breathing hard (Derbyshire FRS)
    CO2 (black)Electrical equipment, burning liquidsSolids: it doesn't cool them (Derbyshire FRS). Cooking oil
    Wet chemical (yellow)Cooking oil and fat (class F) onlyOther fires (Derbyshire FRS)

  2. Choose one for your home.

    Illustration close-up of a woman holding a red fire extinguisher with a cream band, checking its label
    Illustration

    In our story: Amira picks a foam extinguisher with a cream band and checks the label before she buys it.

    Advice differs by country. NFPA says a home extinguisher in the US should be rated at least 2-A:10-B:C and listed by a testing laboratory such as UL. In Germany, NDR reports that foam (classes A and B) suits homes best, because the fine powder from a powder extinguisher spreads through the whole room and is very hard to clean off. Choose the biggest one you can lift and use comfortably (USFA).

  3. Hang it where you'll pass it on your way out.

    Illustration of a red fire extinguisher with a cream band on a wall bracket in a hallway, beside the open kitchen door
    Illustration

    In our story: Amira hangs it on a bracket in the hallway, just outside the kitchen door.

    Keep it where it is easy to reach in an emergency (NFPA). Fire safety guidance for buildings puts extinguishers on escape routes, near exit doors (London Fire Brigade), so you grab it on your way out of danger, not by walking further in.

  4. Check it once a month.

    Illustration close-up of a fingertip beside a small round pressure gauge on a fire extinguisher, its needle in the green zone, with a green tick
    Illustration

    In our story: On the first of the month, Amira checks that the needle on the gauge is in the green.

    NFPA's checks: the gauge, if there is one, is in the operating range; the pin and seal are in place; there's no rust or damage; nothing blocks it; the instructions face out. Disposable extinguishers last at most 12 years from the date on the label (NFPA). Workplace extinguishers in the UK are serviced every year (London Fire Brigade).

Part 2: Fire! Decide in seconds

  1. Shout "Fire!" and get everyone else out first.

    Illustration of a woman at the kitchen doorway pointing down the hallway, past the extinguisher on the wall, as her young daughter walks out of the open front door, with a small fire in the kitchen bin behind her
    Illustration

    In our story: Amira sees flames in the kitchen bin. She sends her daughter straight out of the front door to the neighbour, to ask them to call 112.

    NFPA says to use an extinguisher only when everyone is getting out and someone is calling the emergency number from outside. Children shouldn't use extinguishers (NFPA, USFA): their job is to get out.

  2. Only fight it if it's small and you have a way out.

    Illustration of a woman holding a fire extinguisher about three steps from a small fire in a kitchen bin, with the open kitchen door directly behind her
    Illustration

    In our story: Amira takes the extinguisher from the hall. The fire is still inside the bin, the smoke is light, and the door is right behind her. She stands about three big steps away.

    USFA's checklist: the fire is small and contained to one object, like a bin or a pan; you are safe from the smoke; you have a clear escape route; you're physically able. If any answer is no, leave and close the door. Keep your back to the exit, so the fire never gets between you and the way out.

Part 3: Use it: PASS

  1. Pull the pin.

    Illustration close-up of a hand pulling the safety pin out of a fire extinguisher handle while the other hand holds it upright, nozzle pointing away
    Illustration

    In our story: Amira holds the extinguisher upright, nozzle pointing away from her, and pulls out the pin.

    Hold it with the nozzle pointing away from you and pull the pin to unlock it (USFA, NFPA). On a CO2 extinguisher, don't hold the horn itself: the horn and hose get cold enough to damage skin (East Dunbartonshire Council).

  2. Aim low, at the base of the fire.

    Illustration of a woman aiming a fire extinguisher hose low at the base of the flames in a kitchen bin
    Illustration

    In our story: She points the hose at the burning paper at the bottom of the flames, not at the flames themselves.

    Point it at the base of the fire, where the fuel is burning (NFPA, USFA). Spraying the tops of the flames wastes the few seconds you have.

  3. Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.

    Illustration close-up of a hand squeezing the lever of a fire extinguisher, with foam starting to come out of the hose
    Illustration

    In our story: Amira squeezes the handle and foam comes out of the hose.

    Squeeze slowly and evenly (NFPA). Let go of the lever and it stops.

  4. Sweep from side to side until it's out.

    Illustration of foam covering the burning paper in a kitchen bin as the hose sweeps from side to side, with soft arrows showing the movement
    Illustration

    In our story: She sweeps the hose from side to side until the foam covers all the paper and the flames are gone.

    Sweep the nozzle from side to side (NFPA). It empties in about 10 to 20 seconds (East Dunbartonshire Council). If one extinguisher doesn't put the fire out, get out at once, close the doors behind you and don't go back in (NFPA).

  5. Back away and watch it.

    Illustration of a kitchen bin full of white foam with no flames, a woman standing back near the open door holding the extinguisher, and a green tick
    Illustration

    In our story: The fire is out. Amira backs towards the door and watches the bin, ready to leave, until the fire service arrives.

    Fires can flare up again, so keep an eye on it from near your exit and let the fire service check it. Then have the extinguisher refilled or replaced: NFPA says they are for one-time use, even if it isn't empty.

Pan fires: why Amira would never use this one

Illustration of a fire extinguisher with a cream band aimed at a burning frying pan on a hob, crossed out with a blue line
Illustration

What if the fire had been a pan of oil? Amira's foam extinguisher is the wrong one, and so are water, powder and CO2.

  • Never pour water on burning oil: it can explode (NDR).
  • Only class F (UK and EU, yellow band) or class K (US) extinguishers are made for cooking oil; NFPA says only class K is rated for grease fires, and to use one only from 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 metres) away. Derbyshire FRS lists wet chemical as the extinguisher for cooking oil and fat fires.
  • NFPA's first move: don't move the pan, turn off the heat and cover it. If you can't, get out, close the door and call for help.

Country by country

CountryWhat the label showsEmergency number
UKRed body with a coloured band; letters A, B, C, F; standard BS EN 3 (London Fire Brigade)999
Germany and EURed body, pictograms for classes A, B, C, D, F; foam often advised for homes (NDR)112
USRating such as 2-A:10-B:C, UL or ULC listing (USFA, NFPA)911
PakistanCheck the label's letters as aboveRescue 1122

If something goes wrong

What happensLikely causeWhat to do
Nothing comes out when you squeezePin still in, or it has lost pressureCheck the pin once; if still nothing, leave and close the door
The fire spreads or flares upToo big, or the wrong type of extinguisherStop, get out, close the door, call the emergency number (NFPA)
The room fills with smoke or powderBurning materials, or powder indoors (Derbyshire FRS)Leave straight away; smoke can kill
The extinguisher runs out firstThey last only about 10 to 20 secondsGet out and close the door; don't go back in (NFPA)
The gauge needle is outside the greenLost pressure, or overfilledReplace it or have it serviced before you need it

Related: Why is my smoke alarm chirping? and How to build a home emergency kit.

Questions readers ask

Which fire extinguisher is best for a home?

In the US, NFPA says a home extinguisher should be rated at least 2-A:10-B:C. In Germany, NDR reports that foam (classes A and B) is the most suitable for homes, because powder spreads through the whole room. In the UK, check the coloured band and the letters on the label against the fires you might have.

Can I use a fire extinguisher on a chip pan or oil fire?

Only one made for cooking oil: a class F (wet chemical, yellow band) in the UK and EU, or a class K in the US. NFPA says only class K extinguishers are rated for grease fires. Never use water. The safer first move is to turn off the heat if you can and cover the pan, or get out.

How long does a fire extinguisher last when you use it?

Not long. A typical extinguisher empties in about 10 to 20 seconds, depending on its size (East Dunbartonshire Council). That is why you only tackle a small fire.

Can I use it again after a short squirt?

No. NFPA says extinguishers are for one-time use: once used, have it refilled or replace it, even if it isn't empty.

Should children learn to use a fire extinguisher?

NFPA doesn't recommend training children to use one. Teach them to get out and stay out instead. USFA adds that young children and older adults shouldn't use extinguishers.

Do I have to call the fire service if I put the fire out?

Call before or while you tackle it, not after: NFPA says only use an extinguisher while someone is calling the emergency number from outside. Fires can restart inside walls or furniture, and the fire service can check.

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