Fire extinguisher inspections: the owner's monthly look and the service visit

Portable extinguishers are the most common piece of fire protection in any building, and the most commonly neglected. NFPA 10 covers which one goes where, how it is mounted, and who checks it how often.

The right extinguisher in the right place

The extinguisher is selected for the hazard actually present, and the hazard classification also drives how far apart they can be (Chapter 5). Travel distance to an extinguisher is capped, and the cap depends on the hazard class and the extinguisher rating (Chapter 6). Measure the walk, not the line of sight.

A kitchen with a cooking grease hazard needs a Class K extinguisher within a short walk of the appliances. It backs up the suppression system. It does not replace it. Where the hazard is protected by an automatic fire protection system, a placard near the extinguisher says to actuate the fixed system before using the extinguisher: the fixed system shuts off fuel and power, and a portable does not.

Mounting and access

Extinguishers are mounted where anyone can lift them down, with the height limit lowered for heavier units and the bottom held clear of the floor. They are visible and reachable, and where one cannot be seen from the space it serves, its location is marked.

The monthly inspection belongs to the owner

Somebody looks at every extinguisher every month (Chapter 7). It is a quick visual check by the owner or their staff, not a service visit, and it is recorded. It is also the check most often not happening at all.

Beyond the annual

Past the annual service, extinguishers get an internal examination and a hydrostatic test on longer cycles, and the interval depends on the type of extinguisher (Chapters 7 and 8). Carbon dioxide units are the odd one out: they take the 5 year hydrostatic test but are not subject to the 6 year internal examination. Read the table for the type in front of you rather than applying one cycle to the whole wall.