Has My Fire Extinguisher Expired?
Your workplace fire extinguishers play a fundamental role when it comes to commercial fire safety, so it’s vital that they’re always in the best condition.
If an emergency occurs and your fire extinguisher fails, it can be hugely detrimental, causing destruction and possibly even loss of life.
At Millennium Fire Protection, we regularly supply customers across Harrow, Ealing, Watford and beyond with a range of fire extinguisher types, and in this article, we’ll explain how often fire extinguishers should be checked and when to know if yours have expired.
How often should my fire extinguisher be serviced?
If you’re a business owner or manager, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that it is your responsibility to oversee commercial fire safety procedures.
Part of this responsibility involves organising regular fire extinguisher services to ensure they are working correctly and will be fully functional in an emergency.
Fire extinguishers must be serviced at least once a year by a professional fire company, like Millennium Fire Protection. This is part of your mandatory fire maintenance requirements and must not be neglected.
A record of each service should be kept so that you can easily check when the next service is due.
Alongside the annual service, each month a ‘responsible person’ within your organisation should inspect all of your fire extinguisher units to make sure there is no visible damage.
In addition to annual services, water, powder and foam fire extinguishers must receive an extended service every five years, with CO2 extinguishers receiving them every ten years.
You can check manufacturer labels and previous service records to see when an extended service is due.
How to tell my fire extinguisher has expired
There are a number of ways you can check when a fire extinguisher has expired.
This includes:
Examine the fire extinguisher’s condition
Each month a ‘responsible person’ needs to check the condition of all the fire extinguisher units in your building for damage or disrepair.
Obvious signs of irreparable damage or expiration could include:
- Rust
- Corrosion
- Broken handles
- Blocked nozzles
- Missing lock pins
- Damaged security seals
The extinguisher’s pressure gauge must also be in the red section and the maintenance and servicing records must be up to date.
Get it serviced
A fire extinguisher service is the best way to assess whether your fire extinguisher has expired.
As mentioned above, every fire extinguisher must be serviced at least once a year, with extended services required every five years or ten years depending on the type.
You can check the unit’s service label to check if a service is due, and during a service a professional fire company will test the unit to ensure it’s working properly and there are no blockages, damage or corrosion.
The engineer will inform you if the unit has expired and needs to be replaced when the service has concluded.
Check the fire extinguisher’s age
The age of the fire extinguisher will also indicate whether or not it has expired and a change is needed.
There is no official expiry date for fire extinguishers, but most will last for around 10-12 years. Take a look at the manufacturing date to check how old yours is. If it is older than 12 years, it may be close to expiring but organising a professional service will be able to inform you for certain.
How to dispose of an expired fire extinguisher
If your fire extinguisher has expired, then it must be disposed of and replaced as soon as possible.
Fire extinguishers need to be sent to official recycling centres where they can be appropriately disposed of. Get in touch with your local centre to see if they can help.
Alternatively, the fire safety company that takes care of your servicing may also be able to take your expired units off your hands.
At Millennium Fire Protection, we offer a vast array of fire extinguisher services to our customers. As well as supplying all fire extinguisher types, we can also assist with maintenance and take care of servicing, refills and providing spare parts so your units are always in the best shape. To find out more, get in touch with our expert team today.