The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher
The ability of a fire extinguisher to suppress fires varies by the rated performance of the unit. Safety guidance in the United States indicates that the occupant should consider the performance rating of the extinguisher when deciding to use it with a fire. The present study investigated whether in...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Safety |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-576X/11/2/58 |
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| author | Justin W. Bonny Micah D. Russell |
| author_facet | Justin W. Bonny Micah D. Russell |
| author_sort | Justin W. Bonny |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ability of a fire extinguisher to suppress fires varies by the rated performance of the unit. Safety guidance in the United States indicates that the occupant should consider the performance rating of the extinguisher when deciding to use it with a fire. The present study investigated whether individuals are aware of the connection between the suppression performance of fire extinguishers and the intensity of fires the unit can extinguish. Across five experiments, participants were presented with fire extinguishers that varied in suppression performance (smaller, medium, and larger) and judged whether the extinguisher could extinguish a developing room fire that increased in intensity. The fire intensity at which they stopped attempting to use the extinguisher (threshold) was calculated. No significant differences in threshold were observed by suppression performance condition when suppression information about the single extinguisher at hand was presented. This included when information was provided about the amount of agent, the distance and duration of discharge, and with the water equivalent the extinguisher was rated. However, when trained on the differences in suppression performance between extinguishers and provided with corresponding containers of water, thresholds did vary by performance rating. We discuss how providing information about variations in suppression performance may be necessary to highlight differences in extinguisher ratings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-842edebad141449ab04dd5efc370df65 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2313-576X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-842edebad141449ab04dd5efc370df652025-08-20T03:29:44ZengMDPI AGSafety2313-576X2025-06-011125810.3390/safety11020058The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire ExtinguisherJustin W. Bonny0Micah D. Russell1Department of Psychology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USADepartment of Psychology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USAThe ability of a fire extinguisher to suppress fires varies by the rated performance of the unit. Safety guidance in the United States indicates that the occupant should consider the performance rating of the extinguisher when deciding to use it with a fire. The present study investigated whether individuals are aware of the connection between the suppression performance of fire extinguishers and the intensity of fires the unit can extinguish. Across five experiments, participants were presented with fire extinguishers that varied in suppression performance (smaller, medium, and larger) and judged whether the extinguisher could extinguish a developing room fire that increased in intensity. The fire intensity at which they stopped attempting to use the extinguisher (threshold) was calculated. No significant differences in threshold were observed by suppression performance condition when suppression information about the single extinguisher at hand was presented. This included when information was provided about the amount of agent, the distance and duration of discharge, and with the water equivalent the extinguisher was rated. However, when trained on the differences in suppression performance between extinguishers and provided with corresponding containers of water, thresholds did vary by performance rating. We discuss how providing information about variations in suppression performance may be necessary to highlight differences in extinguisher ratings.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-576X/11/2/58decision makinghuman behavior in fireperception-actioninformation processingmental representation |
| spellingShingle | Justin W. Bonny Micah D. Russell The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher Safety decision making human behavior in fire perception-action information processing mental representation |
| title | The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher |
| title_full | The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher |
| title_short | The Role of Suppression Performance Information in Judging When to Use a Fire Extinguisher |
| title_sort | role of suppression performance information in judging when to use a fire extinguisher |
| topic | decision making human behavior in fire perception-action information processing mental representation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-576X/11/2/58 |
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