Exercise 2. Read and translate text E How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

A fire extinguisher is an absolute necessity in any home or office. While there's a good chance that the extinguisher will sit on the wall for years, collecting dust, it could end up saving your property and even your life.

Fire extinguishers are rated by the type of fire they can put out. Class A extinguishers can put out fires from "ordinary combustibles" such as wood, plastic or paper. Class B can put out burning liquids such as gasoline or grease. Class C can put out electrical fires. Extinguishers marked A, B and C can put out all types. Class D extinguishers, designed to put out burning metal, are rare. Check the letters and pictures on your extinguisher to find out what it can handle.

Fire extinguishers are sturdy metal cylinders filled with water or a smothering material. When you depress a lever at the top of the cylinder, the material is expelled by high pressure, similar to the way material is forced out of an aerosol can.

To use the extinguisher, you pull out the safety pin and depress the operating lever. The lever pushes on an actuating rod, which presses the spring-mounted valve down to open up the passage to the nozzle. The bottom of the actuating rod has a sharp point, which pierces the gas cylinder release valve.

The compressed gas escapes, applying downward pressure on the fire-suppressant material. This drives the material up the siphon and out the nozzle with considerable force.

Even though extinguishers come in a number of shapes and sizes, they all operate in a similar manner. Here's an easy acronym for fire extinguisher use: