Zane State Holds Fire Extinguisher Training

White smoke filled the air in Zane State’s parking lot Tuesday, not because of a fire, but because of those learning to safely put one out.

This event was part of Safety week at the college. The purpose of the event was to teach people the proper way to use an extinguisher if they come into contact with a fire. Environmental Technologies Instructor at Zane State, Elizabeth Kline told us the most people never think about using one.

“I think they know what it is and they know they should have one, but I think that the number of people that actually do are probably very slim and if they do have a fire extinguisher the most important thing you want to make sure is that you’ve checked it recently and that its not expired.”

OSHA and Fire Science Students put the presentation on for those who stopped by. Kline says knowledge of the extinguishers and home fire prevention is a life saving skill.

“One of the biggest, fires, even though we train in your work place and everybody knows about fire safety in the work place. Most of the fires, over 80% occur at home and so thats where you spend a lot of your time, and thats where your most precious things are your family. So you definitely want to make sure you know about fire safety in the home.”

A standard a-b-c fire extinguisher is very easy to use. All you need to do is pull the pin, aim for the base of the fire and squeeze the handle.