It is important to ensure that your fire extinguishers are in good working order and are always ready for use in case of an emergency. For metal extinguishers, annual maintenance, also known as service, should be completed by a qualified fire extinguisher engineer. After 5 years metal extinguishers require a discharge and refill. As well as giving you peace of mind that your extinguishers remain fully operational, extinguisher maintenance for metal extinguishers is a requirement under BS EN 5306-3. Composite P50 service-free extinguishers, on the other hand, do not require a service visit. Instead, the owners or their staff visually inspect the extinguisher once a year. P50 extinguishers only need a refill after ten years. These cost savings are the reason that businesses and organisations are now changing away from traditional metal extinguishers.
Whether your company/organisation has traditional metal extinguishers or P50 service-free extinguishers, it is easy to forget when your extinguishers were last serviced or visually inspected and when the extinguishers require discharge and refilling. To ensure these important maintenance checks are not forgotten, Safelincs can send you a reminder, by email or SMS, to indicate when these activities are due to take place.
The reminder service is entirely free and can be cancelled at any time.
Reviewed: 05/11/2020 (doc:31 V1.1). Our articles are reviewed regularly. However, any changes made to standards or legislation following the review date will not have been considered. Please note that we provide abridged, easy-to-understand guidance. To make detailed decisions about your fire safety provisions, you might require further advice or need to consult the full standards and legislation.
