Fire Extinguishers

If you are responsible for fire safety for a business, then you must make sure fire extinguisher servicing is carried out annually to meet current fire safety regulations.
Fire extinguisher servicing is needed to make sure your extinguishers are kept in full working order in the event of a fire.
Your fire extinguishers should be properly serviced once a year by a qualified fire extinguisher engineer.

Our engineers will check a number of things:

The tamper pin: this has got two jobs.  It holds the safety pin in place, but it also lets you see at a glance whether or not the fire extinguisher could have been used.  Our engineers will check whether your extinguisher has been used and will refill where possible.

The pressure gauge: this tells you whether or not the fire extinguisher is fully pressurized.  Sometimes the gauge needle can ‘stick’ as a result of damage or moisture which means the extinguisher could have lost pressure completely – and therefore won’t work – but the gauge indicates all is well.  Our engineers will check this for you.

The extinguisher body:  if the body of the fire extinguisher shows signs of corrosion, dents, gouges etc. it could be dangerous and may even burst.  We will make sure all of your fire extinguishers are sound and rust-free.
Your fire extinguishers also need to display a label which will give information about its operation, ratings, refilling and anything else worthy of note. If any of this text is no longer legible then the extinguisher will usually need to be condemned.

The extinguisher hose: our engineers will check the fire extinguisher hose isn’t damaged, torn or frayed, otherwise it may not work effectively in the event of a fire.
Our expert engineers take their jobs very seriously and take pride in leaving our customers fully compliant with the law and their buildings and teams safe. Call 01726 839333 today for a fast, friendly quote, or use our contact form below.

We often get asked about the different types of extinguisher when we’re helping a customer with a fire extinguisher installation. So, here’s is a quick and handy guide that will help you understand what you need:

Powder extinguishers: powder fire extinguishers are used in what we call ‘mixed risk’ environments because they provide excellent all-round fire protection.  Powder fire extinguishers are also the only extinguisher that will work on fires involving flammable gases.

Foam extinguishers: foam fire extinguishers are ideal for use on fires which involve solid combustible materials and are also highly effective on flammable liquid fires, such as paraffin or petrol.  Because they leave a layer of foam this helps prevent re-ignition once the fire’s been initially put out.

Carbon dioxide extinguishers: carbon dioxide fire extinguishers – or ‘CO2’ extinguishers – are also used on flammable liquid fires and in addition are extremely good at putting out fires which involve electrical equipment. CO2 is also one of the cleanest types of extinguisher because it doesn’t leave any residue behind when it’s used.

Water extinguishers: water fire extinguishers can be used when the fire involves solid combustible materials such as paper, wood or fabric.  But it’s critical to remember that water conducts electricity and so you mustn’t use water fire extinguishers around electrical equipment (apart from some types of water extinguishers which contain additives).

Wet chemical extinguishers: wet chemical extinguishers are used for what are termed ‘Class F’ fires.  These involve cooking oils and fats, such as lard, olive oil, sunflower oil, maize oil and butter and so you often find these extinguishers in industrial kitchens. They are extremely effective as the wet chemical rapidly knocks the flames out, cools the burning oil and chemically reacts to form a soap-like solution, sealing the surface and preventing the fire re-igniting.

To get expert advice from our fire extinguisher engineers, call 01726 839333 or use the contact form below.