Fire Extinguisher Service – Maintenance and Testing
In order to ensure that fire extinguishers are available and operate properly when needed, both federal and state certification requirements mandate that all facilities properly inspect, test and maintain their portable fire extinguishers. If there is a fire but you have not received the proper fire extinguisher service, or have the wrong extinguishers, you run the risk of not being able to collect on your insurance plan and possible fines. We also offer fire training classes that teach and certify your employees on extinguisher use. Click here for more info.
Fire Extinguisher Inspections & Service
Portable fire extinguishers are required to be visually inspected when initially placed in service and at least monthly thereafter. These visual inspections, intended to help ensure that each extinguisher is in its designated place and will operate if needed, can be performed by Cal-Counties Fire Protection. Contact us today to find out how we can get your monthly fire extinguisher service set up.
A pressure gauge in the “normal” or “operable” range is not a 100 percent guaranty that the extinguisher will perform as intended. A broken seal, for example, may be an indication that someone has used the extinguisher and discharged a portion of the contents too small to affect the pressure gauge therefore, requires that the monthly inspection verify a number of things including:
Fire extinguishers are in their designated places
There are no obstructions to access or visibility
Safety seals are not broken or missing
There is no evidence of physical damage, corrosion, leakage or clogged nozzle
Pressure gauge readings are in the proper range or position
Operating instructions are legible and facing outward
Fullness – confirmed by weighing or lifting
Where circumstances warrant, some fire extinguishers may have to be inspected more frequently. Examples of such circumstances might include extinguishers that are oftentimes found obstructed during monthly inspections or extinguishers located in areas where they are subject to tampering, theft or mechanical injury.
Obviously, any problems found during the monthly inspection must be corrected immediately. Some problems trigger a need for full maintenance or even replacement of the fire extinguisher. For example:
Operating instructions are not legible
Safety seals are broken or missing
Fullness can’t be confirmed (as determined by weighing or lifting)
There is evidence of physical damage, corrosion, leakage or a clogged nozzle
Pressure gauge readings are not in the operable range or position