Under Singapore Standard 578:2019, for class A fires, the maximum distance one should require to reach a fire extinguisher should not be more than 15 meters.
Fire Armour's Commentary on this clause:
If one were to draw a circle around a fire extinguisher with the radius of 15meters, the distance may seem very huge at first. However, using a circle on a floor plan would result in a lot of blind spots. This is why it would be easier to trim the area from a circle to a square instead. The calculations also do not include doorways which would certainly increase the distance required to reach a fire extinguisher. Hence, if there are partitions, the owner has to take these into account.
Under Singapore Standard 578:2019,Classification of hazards is as follows:
6.1 Low hazard
Where the amount of combustibles or flammable liquids present is such that fires of small size may be expected and these may include offices, classrooms, places of worship, assembly halls, telephone exchanges and domestic kitchens. These occupancies consist of fire hazards having normally expected quantities of Class A combustible furnishings, and/or the total quantity of Class B flammables typically expected to be present is less than 5 litres in any room or area.
6.2 Medium hazard
Where the amount of combustibles or flammable liquids present is such that moderate size fires may be expected and these may include storage and display area, motor showrooms, covered car parks, light industry premises, warehouses not classified as high hazard, shopping areas, laboratories, small painting areas and commercial kitchens. These occupancies consist of fire hazards that only occasionally contain Class A combustible materials beyond normally anticipated furnishings, and/or the total quantity of Class B flammables typically expected to be present is from 5 litres to 20 litres in any room or area.
6.3 High hazard
Where the amount of combustibles or flammable liquids present is such that fires of severe magnitude may be expected and these may include exhibition areas, furniture showrooms, wood-working premises, vehicle repair workshops, aircraft hangars, warehouses with high-bay (4 m or higher) storage and processes such as flammable liquid handling, paint and dipping. These occupancies consist of fire hazards involved with storage, packaging, handling or manufacture of Class Acombustibles and/or the total quantity of Class B flammables expected to be present is more than 20 litres in any room or area.
Fire Armour's Commentary on this clause:
It is especially important to note that the classification is a very rough guide. Under Low hazard, a domestic kitchen is considered as LOW threat but if the operator is doing a lot of deep frying, a class F kitchen fire extinguisher would be required. When in doubt, always go for a larger fire extinguisher.