🔍 Key Concepts

• Inspection of portable extinguishers per vessel safety routines • Differences between cartridge-operated and stored-pressure extinguishers • Typical inspection points: agent condition, discharge path, and pressure source

💭 Think About

• For a cartridge-operated dry chemical extinguisher, what provides the pressure to expel the agent, and what could go wrong with it? • What problems could prevent the extinguisher from working even if the cartridge is good? Think about the path the chemical must take. • How can the physical condition of the dry chemical itself affect performance when activated?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm what must be true about the pressure cartridge on a cartridge-operated unit before use. • Verify that the discharge path (hose and nozzle) would allow free flow of the agent. • Consider how caked or compacted dry chemical would affect the extinguisher’s ability to discharge properly.