32 Evolution of Fire Extinguishers

Introduction

Fire extinguishers are essential to society today. They are ubiquitous as they are a part of standard safety protocol at restaurants, hospitals, schools, and households to name a few. But have you ever wondered about the origin of fire extinguishers? How did the idea of fire extinguishers come about? Although it is difficult to pinpoint the very first fire extinguisher, the idea of dousing fire was always a necessity. Early firefighting methods included buckets of water, sand, or simple hand-pumped devices to control small fires. These methods were limited in their effectiveness. The model has evolved in the past few centuries and continues to evolve to increase efficiency.

Early fire extinguisher

The first fire extinguisher on record was patented in England in 1723 by Ambrose Godfrey, a German born chemist known to be the inventor of the fire extinguisher (Fire Ranger). His model was not portable, however, it utilized gunpowder to release a tank of extinguishing fluid (Okoro, Omokaro). Later, around 1819, Captain George William Manby created the first portable fire extinguisher which consisted of a copper vessel of “3 gallons of pearl ash (potassium carbonate) solution under compressed air pressure” (Fire Safety Advice Centre). Another important step towards progress was the invention of the soda-acid extinguisher around the late 19th century. This type of extinguisher consisted of a glass container filled with a mixture of water and sodium bicarbonate. When the container was inverted, a plunger would break a glass vial containing sulfuric acid, causing a chemical reaction that produced carbon dioxide gas. The pressure from the gas would then propel the water and bicarbonate mixture out of the extinguisher, effectively extinguishing the fire.

current model and advancements

Sometime in the middle of the twentieth century the modern type of extinguisher appeared using different extinguishing agents, such as carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide, and liquid chlorobromomethane. However, the vapor and combustion of some of these liquids were highly toxic often resulting in death (Fire Ranger). Manufacturers of extinguishers began using some type of pressurized vessel to store and discharge the extinguishing agent (Fire Safety Advice Centre). The current extinguishing agent used in fire extinguishers is monoammonium phosphate, which is most importantly not toxic to humans.

Summary

To conclude, the scientific concept behind the current model of the fire extinguisher can be traced back to the 17th century. Perhaps even further back to the Romans who inspired future models with their simple hand pumps and hand-to-hand delivery systems. It is reasonable to infer that the current model of the fire extinguisher will continue to evolve with the manufacturers prioritizing the safety of society first and foremost.

AI Use disclosure

I utilized scite.ai and ChatGPT to help me find information about the evolution of fire extinguishers that fits the goals of this textbook chapter. It gave me a myriad of sources that discussed the different models of fire extinguishers in great detail. I then used the other sources I had gathered to apply other elements to the chapter.

REFERENCES

Fire Safety Advice Centre.(2011). “History of Fire Extinguishers.

History of the Fire Extinguisher. (2019, February 11). Fire Ranger^TM. https://www.fireranger.com/history-of-the-fire-extinguisher/

History of the Fire Extinguisher – Who Invented the Fire Extinguisher –. (2020, February 9). Https://Completepumpsandfire.com.au/. https://completepumpsandfire.com.au/history-of-the-fire-extinguisher/

Isreal , O. C., & Omokaro, I. (2017). A Model of Automatic Fire Detection and Suppression System with Improved Efficiency. American Journal of Engineering Research, 6(5), 19-30. https://doi.org/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Idama-Omokaro/publication/343124133_A_Model_of_Automatic_Fire_Detection_and_Suppression_System_with_Improved_Efficiency/links/5f17a53645851515ef3e33cc/A-Model-of-Automatic-Fire-Detection-and-Suppression-System-with-Improved-Efficiency.pdf

W Surrena, M. (2021, November 8). Fire extinguishers: History, types, and uses. Wm. T. Spaeder.