Hang this poster by the laboratory door, beside the fire extinguisher, where the class sees it on the way out.
What is on the poster
Follow your school's fire safety plan. Where your plan differs, your plan wins.
- Stay calm and start RACE. Rescue or remove the occupants, Activate the alarm, Confine the fire by closing doors, Evacuate or extinguish. Leave belongings behind.
- Shut off the gas and the electricity. At the master controls, which removes the ignition sources for everything else in the room.
- Get everyone out, and pull the alarm. Every student, aide and instructor, in an orderly line to the assembly area. One student pulls the hallway alarm while you count heads. Call 911 from a safe place.
- Only the instructor fights it, and only a small fire. Exit behind you: never let fire, heat or smoke come between you and the way out. P.A.S.S.: Pull the pin, Aim low at the base, Squeeze, Sweep. Empty, growing, or any doubt: get out and close the door.
- Clothing on fire: the safety shower first. Get the person under the shower and douse the flames. No shower close by: stop, drop and roll. Never wrap a blanket around a standing person.
Match the extinguisher to the fire
| Class | What is burning | Extinguisher |
|---|---|---|
| A | Paper, wood, cloth, plastic | ABC dry chemical |
| B | Flammable liquids: ethanol, acetone, solvents | ABC dry chemical or BC carbon dioxide |
| C | Electrical equipment with power flowing | ABC dry chemical or BC carbon dioxide |
| D | Metals such as sodium or magnesium | Class D powder, or dry sand. Never water. |
Read Section 5 of the Safety Data Sheet for every chemical in the room before the first flame is lit, not during the fire.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Fire Safety in the Science Lab module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it by the laboratory door, beside the extinguisher.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Fire Safety in the Science Lab module.
Learn more
The Fire Safety in the Science Lab module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool, Fire Extinguisher Use – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed October 2, 2026)
- OSHA 3404, Laboratory Safety Guidance – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed October 2, 2026)
- Fire Safety in the Laboratory (2017) – Tufts University Environmental Health and Safety (reviewed October 2, 2026)
Poster SSP-0042, Rev. 1, October 2026.
