uk fire extinguisher legislation fire...

FIRE EXTINGUISHERSUK LEGISLATION

www.fire-risk-assessors.co.uk

Does your business need fire extinguishers?

What type of extinguishers do I need?

The text book answer would be that your fire risk assessment would tell you;it is a legal requirement for every UK business to carry out a fire risk assessment. However government guide lines suggest that even a one-room shop should have a least one powder extinguisher. So the real, practical answer is - Yes, your business does need fire extinguishers.

Firstly lets consider which types are available:

Water fights 'Type A' fires - solids, e.g. wood, paper, plastic, sugar, upholstery etc.It works by cooling and removing heat.

Type A

Foam fights 'Type A & B' fires so that's - solids, e.g. wood, paper, plastic, sugar, upholstery etc. as before PLUS flammable liquids.On Type A fires it works by cooling and removing heat on Type B fires it works by forming a film over the surface of the liquid and excluding oxygen.

Type A,B

CO2 fights electrical fires and flammable liquids. You may wonder why it isn't classified Type E perhaps but essentially there is no such thing as an electrical fire. That is to say all other classifications (A,B,C,D & F) are types of fuel that burn where as electrical is a source of ignition.It is an asphyxiate and removes oxygen effectively smothering the fire.One of its main advantages is the complete lack of mess after use.

Electrical & Type B


Wet Chemical is specifically designed to fight fires involving cooking oil and fat and employs a method called soponification (turning to soap). It can also have a cooling effect and could be used to fight 'Type A' fires - solids, e.g. wood, paper, plastic, sugar, upholstery etc.

Type A, F

Powder is a multi-class extinguisher and as such is very popular. It is often specified due to its multiple class capability. It will fight: solids, flammable liquids, flammable gasses and electrical fires.It is a very fast acting extinguisher and its speed of knock-down combined with its versatility make it a very popular choice.There are however certain drawbacks to consider: It has little or no cooling-effect so re-ignition can be a danger but its biggest drawback is the mess it leaves behind.

Type A, B, C & electrical

Choice and make up of extinguishers

One Powder

YOU DECIDE!

One Water & One CO2or

BS5306 gives us guidelines as to which extinguishers to use where and on what type of fire but still leaves us with a choice. In terms of cost the powder extinguisher seems like 'thee magic bullet' - one size fits all. However, as a business owner, one may consider business continuation and the effect upon normal operations after using the extremely messy powder extinguisher. If your business involves: catering, clothing, decorations, electronics etc. then maybe you should consider the effect of masses of powder continually settling for days on end. CO2 is muuch better at penetrating the casing of electrical devices (pc, tv etc.) to get to a fire internal to a casing.



Do your extinguishers need servicing?

Do all extinguishers have to be red in colour?

Yes, extinguishers must be serviced annually. Every type of extinguisher needs a 'Basic Service' annually.

CO2 only ever have a 'Basic Service' annually and then on ten years they must be sent away and hydraulically tested, re-filled and resealed. At this point the extinguisher neck is stamped with a recharge date and it is good for a further ten years.However the economics are such that rarely do you wait while your CO2 is sent away to be refurbed and more commonly the unit is exchanged on ten year intervals.

All other stored-pressure types of extinguishers (complete with pressure gauge) have a twenty year lifespan. However there servicing requirements are a little more intricate than that of a CO2 extinguisher.These units require a 'Basic Service' annually and on five-year intervals they require an extended service (5,10 and 15 years).An extended service involves completely discharging the extinguisher, stripping the unit, inspecting the internal body casing, refilling, re-sealing and recharging with nitrogen.

The current British and European standards require all fire extinguishers to be red in colour. The previous standard had individual types of extinguisher coloured according to type (e.g. blue-powder, cream-foam, black-CO2). The current standard retains these colour classifications but only as a band of colour which must be no more than 5% of the height of the extinguisher body.

Previously all black

Now 5%black

Are the old type extinguishers legal?

This is where the, seemingly, common advice often falls a little short.A brief sweep of the internet will bring you masses of quotations advocating that - You shouldn't be conned by commission-happy engineers telling you they're not legal.'They Are Legal' most of these sites expound and offer supporting text as evidence which appears to have been copied and pasted a thousand times as it reoccurs, word for word, spelling mistake for spelling mistake, again and again. Stating:

'The old standard the whole of the body of the extinguisher was painted the appropriate colour code. You will find these in many premises and are legal , you do not need to change them unless the extinguisher is defective and needs to be replaced.'

The problem with this bold statement is that it seems infinite when it is of course time bound.



Replacement Intervals

Suggesting that the old colour-coded extinguishers will live forever is a nonsense.

BS 5306 states:

The maintenance cycle for extinguishers should consist of the following key stages:

Weekly check by the responsible person, conducted at least weekly6. Visual inspection by the responsible person, conducted at least monthly7. Basic service by Competent Person, conducted at least on an annual basis8 (± 1 month9). Extended service & overhauls, which, except for CO2 extinguishers and a few certain other exceptions, are carried out after the first five years, and then at five yearly intervals thereafter.

, which should be performed by Replacement no later than at age 20 years

BS 5423: 1987 was withdrawn in 1997 – The vast majority of these typesof extinguisher out there are much older than 20 years and need replacing

Further FREE help guides are available at www.fire-risk-assessors.co.uk


uk fire extinguisher legislation fire...

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