how far apart do fire extinguishers have to be in an ohio factory and a texas factory?

Answer 1

Well there is more to it than just how far apart they are.

Maximum travel distance can never exceed 75 feet in any situation. However, that doesn't mean the fire extinguihsers get to be every 150 feet! It's based on multiple factors:

The hazard class of the occupancy plays a big role (i.e. a factory that processes paper products is going to be a higher hazard than say a factory that produces metal parts.) These classes are broken down to Light (low hazard), Ordinary (Moderate), or Extra (High) Hazard occupancies.

The next thing we have to look at is the classification of the extinguisher you are using. It will have a UL rating, something like 4A:60B:C. The number of A units is multiplied by a square footage factor that is based on the occupancy we just talked about.

The maximum amount of square footage the extinguisher can cover, per units of A in its rating, is 3000, 1500, and 1000 respectively with the lowest square footage being for the high hazard group. Also no extinguisher can ever be allowed to cover more than 11,250 square feet.

Let's run an example...

Let's assume your factory is a moderate hazard and you are ordering 10Lb. ABC Multipurpose fire extinguishers to cover it with a rating of 4A:60B:C. Then each unit can cover roughly 6000 sq.ft. of floor space with travel distances never exceeding 75 feet.

Divide the factory up into 6000 sq.ft. "sections" where each section gets 1 fire extinguisher located somewhere inside that section. Place them where they will be safe from impact, can be seen, will not be blocked, and on paths to an exit whenever possible. Insure travel distance does not exceed 75 feet to any unit from any point in the facility and that's NOT necessarrily measured in a straight line, but along the path someone might have to take to get around equipment and what not.

Finally, you must also be aware that there are specific pieces of equipement that may also need a fire extinguisher of a particular type located within even closer distances, such a flammable dip tanks, industrial tow motor recharging areas, flammable storage areas, etc., etc.

NFPA 10 is the National Standard on placement of fire extinguishers. Almost every state in the nation adopts it as code. Ohio is using the 1998 edition, and I think Texas is using the 2002 edition, but the good news is both editions have the same travel distance and square footage rules I described. This guide has really good illustrations and discussed various examples to handle almost every conceiveable layout. I highly recommend getting a copy and referring to it.

Also, involve your local fire prevention officer (or fire marshal) and/or your insurance company. They may have additional items for you to consider and they will probably be more than willing to help.

Sorry about spelling errors, spellchecker is down again!

Answer 2

at least 10 or 15 states.

Answer 3

usually every 50 ft