Every year, more than 180,000 people die of burns, according to the estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, as per the agency, “…the vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.”, which is attributed to the lax or non-existent fire safety standards in many developing and under-developed countries. In contrast, North America and European countries have stringent regulations regarding fire safety, which help avert numerous serious disasters each year.
Fire extinguishers are intended for smaller fires, and since many big fires start as small ones, these devices are extremely handy if used in the initial stage. They generally work by spraying a chemical or other agents on the burning substance, so that the fuel’s oxygen supply is cut; a fire cannot sustain itself without oxygen. Thus, depending on the burning substance, a range of agents are contained inside such devices. Therefore, fire extinguishers are classified into the carbon dioxide, dry chemical & dry powder, water-based, foam-based, and clean agent types.
All these types are widely used in the commercial, residential, industrial, and transport sectors. Among these, the industrial sector is their largest end user because factories carry a perpetual fire hazard owing to the high-voltage machines they use. In addition, a lot of industrial units use incinerators or ovens, which further highlights the necessity of fire control equipment. Thus, with large-scale industrialization taking place in developed as well as developing countries, the demand for fire extinguishers in this sector will keep growing.
Same will be the case in other end-use sectors, primarily due to the wide-scale infrastructure development around the world. Countries including India, China, the U.S., Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Japan are investing huge sums in construction activities to accommodate their burgeoning population and modernize their infrastructure. As a result, the number of residential units, commercial complexes, transport hubs, healthcare centers, educational institutes, and other settings is rising around the world, which is, in turn, leading to the increasing sale of fire extinguishers.
Coupled with the rampant construction activities, the surging awareness on fire safety and implementation of related rules, are expected to make Asia-Pacific (APAC) the fastest-growing fire extinguishers market in the years to come. For instance, in India, all newly constructed buildings, be it apartment complexes, schools and colleges, office buildings, or hospitals, are mandated to have fire extinguishers. Moreover, to increase the awareness on fire safety, several government and private organizations conduct seminars and drills across the country, where the dos and don’ts in case of fire and instructions to operate an extinguisher are conveyed.
Hence, with the increasing construction activities around the world in response to the booming population and need to give it better facilities, coupled with the steps being taken to reduce the burn-associated mortality, sales of fire extinguishers will keep increasing.