ELI5 Fire Extinguishers - why are they red in color?

Why is most fire equipment red in color? What happens if you use the wrong class of extinguisher on a grease or metal fire? Could the future of firefighting be a "dubstep cannon" that uses sound waves to kill flames? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: jasonthefuzz, jebediah_johnson, rtpkickballer, audiblenod, markhunt1980, mpls_is_rivendell, dvn_rvthernot and dignitty. To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Join us on Twitter: or send us an e-mail: ELI5ThePodcast@gmail.com

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ELI5 Fire Extinguishers - why are they red in color? is an episode from Explain Like I'm 5: Bite sized answers to stuff you should know about - in a mini podcast by ELI5 Explain Like I'm Five Podcast.

This episode is 8:18 long.

This episode was published on Feb 6, 2026.

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