Fire Signage Requirements

Fire signs are so ubiquitous that it is easy to forget why they are there: for public safety. Every fire sign is designed to put across essential fire safety information in a clear manner. Even if someone is visually impaired or illiterate, she will still be able to understand a fire safety sign.

Color Coding

• Red fire signs indicate danger or that an activity is prohibited. The red color must make up at least 35 percent of the sign. Yellow and amber signs indicate a warning that an activity is dangerous, although you are not expressly denied the right to partake in that activity. Blue indicates a mandatory requirement that could prevent a fire from starting, and green fire signs indicate where the emergency exits are located. The colors make up at least 50 percent of their respective signs.

Fire Extinguisher Signs

• Fire extinguishers come in five types. Class A deals with ordinary combustibles, such as paper, wood and plastic. Class B is used for oil fires. Class C is used on electrical fires. Class D is predominantly found in factories and is for metal fires. Class K is used on fires in commercial and residential kitchens involving vegetable oils and animal fats. Each class of fire extinguisher is recognizable by a distinct symbol--the class letter on a colored background--and a pictogram. For example, Class A is recognizable by the letter A in a green triangle alongside a picture of a wastepaper basket and some ordinary combustibles on fire.

Fire Exit Signs

• By state and federal law, all public spaces must have designated fire exits. What's more, these fire exits must remain lit at all times and are not allowed to be covered, which is why you see green fire exit signs glowing in the dark when you go to the movies. All workplaces have fire exit signs and the law requires an employer to tell new employees where the fire exits are located.

No Smoking Signs

• No smoking signs are red to indicate smoking is prohibited and are found in places such as gasoline stations, factories, laboratories and other places where flammable materials and gasses are present. No smoking signs are also found on public transport and in restaurants, although this is for heath rather than fire safety reasons.

Flammable Signs

• The flammable sign illustrates a black fire on a yellow background. The flammable sign is most commonly seen on the back of products, such as liqueur with high alcohol content, hair spray and materials made of polyester. Keep these products out of direct sunlight and away from flames or extreme heat.