While Halon is probably the best it is VERY EXPENSIVE so I would opt for CO2 which is also very good and cleaner than those powder mess makers. Just remember that most CO2 exts are larger and heavier so women or kids may not be able to operate them. Multiple 5pounder ABC's are a good choice.
ALSO: if you don't have any exts and are where you have a water hose that water will put out a fire. Direct it at the base of the fire and the water will cool off the burning material and also if you hit the hot spots the water will turn to steam and (expand 1700 times) in volume and help push out the oxygen from the fire. We (the Navy) use water along with foam for all types of fuel / oil fires. So fight the fire with whatever you have. WARNING do not throw water on a grease fire on the stove. It sill blow the hot grease and fire all over the kitchen and you.
In another life (J/K), when I was a safety supervisor/technician, emergency response team member (HAZWoper level III & V, low/high angle & confined space rescue, basic emergency care) for over 8 years between 1992 and 2000, part of my duties included servicing hand-portable fire extinguishers, kitchen grease hood extinguishing systems, sprinkler systems, mobile fire brigade units, infrared fire detection, multiple types of gas detection in hand-portable and fixed systems, as well as a barrage of other industrial safety related equipment I will not mention here. Let me just say I know my safety gear in the private and industrial sectors. If you name a safety-related manufacturer, I can probably tell you most everything they sell, what it's for and how to use/maintain it.
As part of a federal mandate (EPA) in 1998 (maybe earlier, can't remember that far back), Halon 1211 found in the high-dollar hand-portable extinguishers as well as Halon 1301 found in fixed systems for the protection of highly sensitive and expensive electronic equipment, were removed from active manufacture, due to their CFCs. It became illegal to manufacture any fire protection equipment containing either of the two, or the actual liquified gases (halon). It was not illegal to store bulk quantities of either Halon product after the mandate, or possess either the hand-portables or fixed systems, however, if they needed to be serviced, the price for any replacement halon was prohibitive...as in, the cost went from around $4.00/lb to over $40.00/lb, basically overnight. Recovery of the halon just for servicing required expensive equipment as well, and therefore, the cost for routine maintenance of rechargeable fire extinguishers (required for insurance of businesses and OSHA/MSHA compliance at industrial sites) became even higher.
The costs for anything related to halon after the federal mandate became extremely high for two main reasons:
1) lack of supply replenishment;
2) federal taxation of ALL halon in storage for the purpose of resale during serving of fire protection equipment...yes, you read correctly;
Those who were brave enough to store large quantities were compelled to move that product as soon as possible, or face the additional storage taxes, so it wasn't held onto by any respectable service companies for very long. One of the industrial customers I was under contract with wanted all of their halon fire suppression gone by year-end, and replaced with CO2 systems, a few CO2 hand-portables and the remainder with dry chemical hand-portables. OK, said I...they didn't care about the cost, they just didn't want the liability, being a large operator and very environmentally conscious as they were. We were able to recover all of the halon, for later resale and destroyed the original fire extinguishers (liability), but it was a risky step with the known storage tax looming overhead...worked out OK, though.
That said, I seriously doubt you will find any halon related fire equipment for sale, or be able to recharge or have the equipment serviced in any manner by a competent/qualified/licensed professional. And, yes, you are required by law to be licensed in all states except (last word I had) Colorado. Anyone who doesn't use their liscense number on the service tag is subject investigation by the statefire marshall, and possible fines/jail, revocation of license indefinitely...don't mess with the fire marshall's deputies, they are serious.
CO2 hand-portable fire extinguishers are a bit spendy, very heavy due to the high pressure cylinder, and one should know that unless you get a larger unit, they will not be rated for class A fires (combustibles, only classes B and C (flammable liquids and electrical fires, respectively). The standard mono-amonium phosphate dry chemical fire extinguishers are all rated for class A:B:C, unless they are very small, say under 1lb. The home kitchen type (class B:C) have sodium bicarbonate (the cheapos, work fine btw), while the industrial B:C fire extinguishers (very spendy, btw) have a dry chemical we in the business call "Purple K", or PKP. This is originally developed by Ansul, (world-wide leader in industrial fire suppression) and was under trademark (probably still is) , and the given name is for exactly what it implies...the chemical has a purple/pink florescent tint. It's primary fire extinguishing action is by displacement of air with gases created by chemical reaction from heat. It is non-toxic when used for fire extinguishing purposes. For vehicle or kitchen use in the private sector, you don't need this stuff...it is expensive because it has been developed to have a much higher fire suppression rating on class B:C fires than the standard multi-purpose A:B:C rated dry chemical.
Any good vehicle fire extinguisher will have a USCG (coast guard) approval (some are only USCG approved for marine use if secured with the manufacturer's USCG approved mounting bracket, but may be used with a similar non-USCG bracket for vehicles), and should be UL listed as well.
Fire suppression ratings for all hand portables are listed by the manufacturer on the label, and should be on the box as well (example: 1:A-10:B:C for small units in the 2.5lb range, 5:A-40B:C for large units in approx 10lb or larger range). The fire suppression ratings are designated for the purpose of determining how large of an incipient stage fire can be suppress by someone inexperienced with fire suppression. Incipient stage fires are small, have not yet begun to grow and spread rapidly, and have not yet begun to generate any significant heat. We're talkng about fires that have only been burning for 30-60 seconds or less, and preferably that you witnessed the ignition of said fire, so you know it's young and witnessed it's progression. These are the size of fire that a fire extinguisher is designed to suppress. Anything beyond these guidelines is time to call 911 (or in the case of post-SHTF, your community fire bucket-brigade). For each count of one in the rating, regardless of class, the fire extinguisher is rated to suppress 1 square foot of that type of material, by an inexperienced person. Those who are highly trained and experienced, they may be able to cover three to six times the size, but for clarification, most people who may use these are not trained or experienced, hence the reduction of suppression rating, so the general public will not be lulled into thinking they can take on a fully engulfed vehicle with a 20lb unit.
Never use water-based fire extinguishing methods near an electrical source or equipment unless the source has been disconnected...OK, who has time to think about that? Only the fire department. Remember, class C...water and electricity??? Therefore, it is considered an improper installation if these two are found in proximity, so you may never find water-based extinguishers in a business or industrial location. They may have all but become obsolete by now, but if you find one in a store or garage sale, etc, just pass it by...they're pretty much useless now days.
Class A (combustible materials, such as paper, wood, plastics) is one of the more difficult fires to suppress due to the nature of the material. Once it goes up in flames, it collects heat. This heat can re-ignite after initial suppression if improper methods were used. Mono-amonium phoshate or multi-purpose dry chemical is best for hand-portable extinguishers. When delivered onto a fire, this chemical melts and forms a crust over the hot areas it contacts, forming a barrier between the hot material and air, removing air (oxygen) from the fire-triangle. Chances for re-ignition of the hot material once it is extinguished with this chemical is greatly reduced.
Now, for vehicle fires, consider this: you have a potential for all 3 of the common fire classes to be involved in a fire, so don't hesitate in spending a couple extra dollars for a multi-purpose fire extinguisher over a Class B:C only...not worth it, in my opinion.
CO2? sure, a larger unit is rated for class A fires, but cannot coat the material the way mono-amonium phosphate can. Will it leave a residue of highly irritating dust behind? No. Can it still pose a threat to human life while in use? YES!!! CO2 is the promary drive for your respiratory function. Higher levels of CO2 in your blood cause more rapid and deeper breathing, automatically. CO2 being discharged into smaller, or unventilated spaces puts you at risk when CO2 levels reach more than 5,000 ppm...normal air contains 300-400 ppm. I used to do training for CO2 safety along with H2S, both in the oil and gas industries, but that's been over 10 years ago. CO2 is a clean fire suppressant, yes, however is not that great at what it's intended for in a fire extinguisher, and, it can be deadly to the user.
Me? Don't have or want CO2...have plenty of dry chemical of various types and sizes for home and vehicle, and one lowly 20lb halon 1211 that mistakenly didn't get destroyed back in 1998, or whenever that was...they didn't want it around if they got audited by corporate, so I came to the rescue...
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Oh, in case I forgot to mention, halon is every bit as dangerous to the user of the fire extinguisher as CO2. Either will displace the air from the environment it is used in...that's how they kill a fire, be removing the O2 the fire needs to continue burning...which, by the way, you need to breathe...make sense?
Class D fires are combustible metals such as magnesium, etc. The fire extinguishers rated fior class D are listed for specific metals only, and must not be used for metals other than what they are listed for. Class A:B:C rated fire extinguishers for class D fires will only accomplish one thing: severely burn or kill the person attempting to put these fires out...that's it.
OK, getting late here, and my search and peck keyboard work is slow, so eye-lid inspections are over-due for me...ha! Anyway, that's all I can tell you in this installment. If you want/need to know more, ring in.
Last thing when it comes to fire extinguishing: if it doesn't look good, it probably isn't...been there, 1987, with another worker's tanker truck fire and a 20lb hand-portable 10:A-40:B:C and 8,400 gallons of highly flammable liquified petroleum gas (not propane, heavier stuff). This is an extreme example, but you get the picture. We were all able to walk away after the fire dept arrived, and no one was seriously injured (I wasn't burned at all), including the public, thankfully. Property damage was severe, though. Ever see a fire-ball 300 feet wide and 600 feet high from only 300 feet away? Damn HOT!!! If it's a big fire and you're standing there holding a hand-portable fire extinguisher, it's way past time to just leave...trust me.
