It is important to familiarise yourself with this procedure before a potential emergency. The instructions are printed on the extinguisher cylinder and should be referred to. However, as a standard guideline, stand 1.5 to 2 metres away from the fire and follow the four step PASS procedure:
P – Pull the pin and hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you.
A – Aim low at the base of the fire.
S – Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly to discharge the extinguishing agent. When the agent firsts hits, the fire may briefly flare up. This is to be expected.
S – Sweep the nozzle from side to side, moving carefully toward the fire. Keep the extinguisher aimed at the fire.