(a) The minimum number of fire extinguishers needed to protect a property shall be determined as outlined in this section. Additional extinguishers may be installed to provide more suitable protection.
(b) Fire extinguishers shall be provided for the protection of both the building structure and the occupancy hazards contained therein.
(c) Required building protection shall be provided by fire extinguishers suitable for Class A fires.
(d) Occupancy hazard protection shall be provided by fire extinguishers suitable for such Class A, B, C, D, or K fire potentials as may be present.
(e) Extinguishers provided for building protection may be considered also for the protection of occupancies having a Class A fire potential.
(f) Buildings having an occupancy hazard subject to Class B and/or Class C fires shall have a standard complement of Class A fire extinguishers for building protection, plus additional Class B and/or Class C extinguishers. Where fire extinguishers have more than one letter classification (such as 2-A:20-B:C), they may be considered to satisfy the requirements of each letter class. When using multi-purpose extinguishers for the protection of Class B hazards, the maximum travel distances described in Table 2 must be observed.
(g) Rooms or areas shall be classified generally as light (low) hazard, ordinary (moderate) hazard, or extra (high) hazard. Limited areas of greater or lesser hazard shall be protected as required.
(h) On each floor level, the area protected and the travel distances shall be based on fire extinguishers installed in accordance with Tables 2 and 3.
(i) Fire extinguishers shall not be obstructed or obscured from view.
Exception: In large rooms, and in certain locations where visual obstruction cannot be completely avoided, means shall be provided to indicate the fire extinguisher's location.
(j) Fire extinguishers shall be conspicuously located along normal paths of travel where they will be readily accessible and immediately available in the event of a fire.
(k) Portable fire extinguishers containing halogenated agents shall conform to confined space volume requirement warnings contained on the fire extinguisher nameplates.
(l) Wheeled fire extinguishers shall be used for hazard protection in areas in which a fire risk assessment has shown the following:
(1) High hazard areas are present.
(2) Limited availability of personnel is present; thereby requiring an extinguisher that has the following features:
(A) High agent flow rate
(B) Increased agent stream range
(C) Increased agent capacity
(m) Where wheeled extinguishers are installed, aisles and doorways through which such extinguishers are to be moved shall have a clear and unobstructed width not less than one foot (1 ft.) wider than the overall width of the extinguisher.
Credits
Note: Authority cited: Section 13160, Health and Safety Code. Reference: Sections 13160 and 13190, Health and Safety Code.
History
1. Amendment of subsection (b) filed 8-8-75; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 75, No. 32).
2. Repealer and new section filed 3-4-92; operative 4-3-92 (Register 92, No. 15).
3. Amendment filed 12-27-2001; operative 1-1-2002 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2001, No. 52).
5. Change without regulatory effect adding new subsection (k) filed 7-25-2006 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2006, No. 30).
6. New subsections (k)-(l)(2)(C), subsection relettering and amendment of Note filed 7-17-2013; operative 10-1-2013 (Register 2013, No. 29).
This database is current through 5/3/24 Register 2024, No. 18.
