A fire extinguisher is one of the useful tools you have to guard your business against a fire. But did you understand there are the requirements set by the NFPA for inspecting these types of firefighting tools? Let’s take a look at these requirements as well as what occurs during the maintenance and the inspection.
How Often Should Your Extinguishers Be Inspected?
The NFPA requires your equipment to be inspected, tested, and the tagged annually by the professional inspector. But there are some monthly inspections you should be performing yourself to assure your fire extinguisher is in working order.
The first thing you should do is to ensure you have the extinguishers in the proper locations at the all times. Look at your equipment for obvious signs of the damage. Does it look like it has been tampered with or used?
Check the seals and the safety pin as well as the clogged nozzles, cracks or the dents, signs of the corrosion, and the leaks. Make sure the needle on the pressure gauge is in the green zone and the lift it us to make sure it still feels full.
What Happens During a Fire Extinguisher Inspection?
Although the most people consider this test involves actually operating the extinguisher, your annual inspection won’t involve using the extinguisher. Using it during this test would be wasteful when the contents could be used to fight the fires and to keep your business safe.
To have your fire extinguisher inspected, you will need to hire the professional inspector. During this service, several things will happen. Your inspector will:
- Verify that there is the portable extinguisher within the 75 feet of travel on every floor.
- Verify the portable fire extinguisher is located within the 30 feet of cooking equipment in the commercial kitchen or the restaurant.
- Make sure each extinguisher is easily visible and not blocked by the objects.
- Check the label to ensure it is the right type of the fire extinguisher for your business.
- Check the pressure dial for readability and that it is fully charged.
- Check that the hose is intact, the pull pin is fastened securely, and the tamper seal is unbroken.
- Look for the obvious signs of use or the damage or any modifications that could reduce the functionality.
- These annual inspections will help to ensure your business is safe at all the times.