Is Fire Extinguisher maintenance and servicing necessary?

The fire extinguisher plays a vital role as part of your business's fire safety measures. And yet, you probably walk past that bright red metal cylinder several times a day without giving it a second thought. Until that is, you actually need to use it.

But that isn't the time to suddenly discover it doesn't work.

Yet, there's a real chance of this happening should you fail to service and maintain your fire extinguishers. That's why, under UK fire safety laws, you must undertake the regular inspection, maintenance and servicing of all your extinguishers.

But what does this involve?

Can you service a fire extinguisher yourself?

The obligation to regularly inspect, maintain and service your fire extinguishers – as with all your other fire safety equipment – comes under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

In all, there are three ways to ensure your fire extinguishers will work at all times.  They are:

• Basic Service – This must be completed to meet BS 5306-3 and should be undertaken by an accredited service engineer. They must also record details of each service.

• Extended Service – Due to the complexity, this service should only ever be carried out by a qualified engineer to ensure you meet all UK fire safety regulations.

• Regular visual inspections – Carried out by your company's 'Responsible Person'.

As you can see, a regular visual inspection is the only part you are legally required to complete yourself.

For all other servicing and maintenance, under British Standard BS 5306-3 you are responsible for ensuring you use an accredited service technician. That way, you'll be sure the servicing is completed to the correct standard. And most importantly, it ensures your fire extinguishers will work when you need them to.

So, how often must each of these tasks be completed?

How often should a Fire Extinguisher be inspected and serviced?

Inspection and servicing periods vary. With Extended Services, the type of extinguisher also has a bearing on when this needs to be carried out.

A Basic Service must be carried out every 12 months.

For Extended Services these must be carried out as follows:

• Water and water-based extinguishers – every 5 years
• Powder – every 5 years
• Powder (primary sealed) – every 10 years
• CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) – every 10 years

Regular Visual Inspections, however, must be completed monthly. Although in working environments where an extinguisher could easily be damaged, they should be made more frequently.

Each inspection should be carried out by your company's 'Responsible Person' as part of their regular checks for your ongoing Fire Risk Assessment. For fire extinguishers, the checks you're required to make include many of those undertaken by a service engineer during a basic or extended service.

Checklist for regular Fire Extinguisher inspection

You are only required to visually inspect the exterior of each extinguisher. Any defects or problems should be reported and rectified by an accredited service engineer as soon as possible.

With each inspection, you must ensure:

1. All extinguishers are in their designated locations. This can be hanging on a wall or in a fire extinguisher stand. They must also be sited beside the appropriate signage.
2. All extinguishers can be clearly seen and are easily accessible.
3. Their operating instructions are clear and legible and are facing outwards.
4. There are no signs of tampering. All tamper indicators and seals must be intact.
5. That none of the extinguishers have been used. The extinguisher hose or horn may show signs of discharge if it has. The pressure gauge may also indicate this – see below.
6. The pressure rating on the pressure gauge or indicator is within its safe operational limit. The use of a fire extinguisher or a leaking seal or valve will reduce pressure.
7. There are no signs of external damage to the extinguisher. In particular, you should look for...

• • Missing parts
  • Rust, dents, scratches or gouges on the cylinder
  • Excessive dirt on valves or pressure gauges/indicators
  • Corrosion or leakages
  • Clogged nozzle or wand (wet chemical extinguishers)
  • Frayed or split hose
  • Cracked or split horn (CO2 – Carbon Dioxide – extinguishers)

What does a Basic Fire Extinguisher Service and Extended Service involve?

Servicing varies according to extinguisher type. And both include visual inspections that go beyond those checks you make as part of your regular Fire Risk Assessment.

Basic Annual Service: The technician will rectify any problems identified during the inspection. Although as standard, they will replace all seals and O-rings. They will also conduct a pressure gauge test.

Once completed, the engineer will fill-out the service history label for your records.

Extended Service: This is a far more in-depth service and includes the replacement of components as standard. There are also external and internal inspections. To check the inside of the fire extinguisher for signs of corrosion or other potential problems, the engineer will fully discharge the extinguisher.

During this process, details on the pattern, distance, and duration of the spray are recorded to ensure they meet mandatory requirements.

If no problems are detected, the extinguisher will be refilled with the appropriate extinguishing agent. And then leak-tested and repressurised according to the manufacturer's specifications. Although for CO2 fire extinguishers, the servicing process is slightly different.

Like your fire alarm system, fire extinguishers form your first line of defence against fire. Without them, you loose the ability to tackle a fire before it gets out of control. And so to ensure your fire extinguishers are always ready should the worst ever happen, it's essential they are all inspected, maintained, and serviced regularly.

And if that wasn't reason enough, you also face a heavy fine if you don't.

CAN MAC SECURITY TAKE OVER YOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER MAINTENANCE CONTRACT?

MAC Security is happy to take over most Fire System & Equipment maintenance contracts.
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