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Item

Fire Extinguisher

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Free pressurized canister — eliminates Hiders, slime puddles, and active fires. 100% charge that depletes with use and recharges 1% per 2s at spawn.

Overview

Fire Extinguisher is one of the most versatile free items in the game. Per Fandom: it launches white projectiles to extinguish fires AND eliminates Hiders AND clears slime puddles AND serves as a Skinwalker counter. All from a single free pickup, available right of the Supplies Shop starting Shift 3. The mechanical signature is the charge system — the extinguisher starts at 100% charge, depletes with use, and recharges 1% per 2 seconds when returned to its spawn location. That means a fully-drained extinguisher takes 200 seconds (~3.3 minutes) to fully recharge from empty.

The return-to-spawn-to-recharge mechanic enables team-share patterns: one teammate uses the extinguisher during an active event, returns it to spawn, and another teammate can pick it back up after some recharge time. For solo play, the recharge rate roughly matches typical event cadence — by the time the next event fires, the extinguisher is back to usable charge if you returned it promptly.

Video Guide

Effect & Mechanics

  • Extinguishes active fires (white projectile spray)
  • Eliminates Hiders (single shot per Hider)
  • Clears slime puddles
  • Reveals invisible Ghosts (non-lethal exposure)
  • Valid Skinwalker counter (one of three documented options)
  • Starts at 100% charge; depletes with use
  • Recharges 1% per 2 seconds when returned to spawn location

When to Use vs Skip

Pros

  • ✓ Fire-in-Room events (the primary intended use case)
  • ✓ Hider corridor sweeps (one shot per Hider)
  • ✓ Ghost encounters when you need to expose position before a kill

Cons

  • ✗ Single-target Skinwalker fights — Taser or Gun is faster than the extinguisher spray
  • ✗ When charge is below 20% and another event is incoming — return for recharge first
  • ✗ Pure-treatment shifts where no fire / Hider / Ghost events are expected

At a Glance

At a Glance

Cost
Free
Type
survival
Available from
Shift 3
Uses
100% charge

How to Use This Item

Pick up the Fire Extinguisher from right of the Supplies Shop starting Shift 3. The pickup is free — no cost to first acquisition. For wall-mounted variants in hospital hallways, the same pickup-and-use mechanic applies.

For fire events: aim at the fire source and discharge the white projectile spray. The spray extinguishes the fire on contact. Charge consumption per fire encounter varies based on fire size.

For Hiders: a single shot per Hider eliminates the threat. The extinguisher works whether the Hider is dormant on the wall or actively chasing. This makes it the single most efficient Hider counter when corridor density is high.

For Ghosts: the spray exposes the invisible figure's position without dealing damage. Use this in coordinated play — one teammate sprays to expose, the other lands the kill via Gun or Taser. Solo play, the exposure window is short, so you'll need to follow up quickly with a weapon.

For Skinwalker: valid counter but generally slower than Taser (2 shots) or Gun (1-2 shots). Use Fire Extinguisher on Skinwalker only when no faster weapon is available.

Charge management: when charge drops below 30%, return the extinguisher to its spawn location to recharge. The 1% per 2-second recharge rate means leaving it at spawn between encounters is the optimal pattern — you only carry it during active threats.

Patch History

No documented balance changes to Fire Extinguisher mechanics. The 100% starting charge, 1% per 2-second recharge rate, and multi-target capabilities (fire / Hiders / slime / Ghost-exposure) have all been stable across documented updates.

Item Synergies

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fire Extinguisher really free?
Yes — pickup is free from right of the Supplies Shop starting Shift 3. The cost is the time to return for recharge between uses, not Animal Coins or Robux.
How long does Fire Extinguisher take to recharge?
1% per 2 seconds when returned to spawn location. A fully-drained extinguisher takes 200 seconds (~3.3 minutes) to fully recharge from empty.
Can Fire Extinguisher kill Skinwalker?
Yes — it's one of three documented Skinwalker counters (Gun, Taser, Fire Extinguisher). Slower than Taser (2 shots) or Gun (1-2 shots), but works when no faster weapon is available.
How do I use Fire Extinguisher against Hiders?
Aim and spray. A single shot per Hider eliminates the threat. Works whether the Hider is dormant on the wall or actively chasing.
Does Fire Extinguisher kill Ghosts?
No — it exposes the invisible figure without dealing damage. Use the spray to reveal position, then land the kill with a Gun or Taser.
When does Fire Extinguisher first become available?
Shift 3, free pickup from right of the Supplies Shop. Wall-mounted variants exist in some hospital hallways as well.
Can teammates share a Fire Extinguisher?
Yes — the return-to-spawn-to-recharge mechanic enables team-share. One teammate uses, returns to spawn, another picks it back up after some recharge time.
What happens if Fire Extinguisher is at 0% charge?
It becomes non-functional until recharged. Return to spawn and wait for the 1% per 2-second recharge to build back up. Plan recharge timing around expected event cadence.

The most universally-useful inventory item

Fire Extinguisher does more things, in more situations, than almost any other item. Per Destructoid + Techwiser:

  • Patient on Fire — instant-extinguish on a single patient (60s timer).
  • Fire-in-Room — clears a burning room (no fixed timer, 1 sanity/sec drain stops on extinguish).
  • Skinwalker — one of three valid combat counters.
  • Hiders — preferred counter for the wall-flat enemies.

Four use-cases, one item. The cost is wall-mounted = no shop spend = the easiest universal-loadout pick.

The recharge mechanic

Per the Techwiser events guide, Fire Extinguishers (alongside Tasers) become available at Shift 3 and recharge when returned to their mounted locations. The wall case is the refill station, not just storage.

This makes Fire Extinguisher economy effectively unlimited — pick up, use, return, refill, repeat. The constraint is transit time, not supply.

When the Gun beats it

For solo Secret Agent runs, the Gun outperforms Fire Extinguisher on Skinwalker because of range. For Hiders, Fire Extinguisher's area-of-effect makes it the cleaner pick. For multi-target fire emergencies, Fire Extinguisher is the only viable counter regardless.

If you're free-to-play and choosing one universal item to keep in inventory, Fire Extinguisher is the standard answer.

Sources: Destructoid walkthrough, Techwiser events guide.