REQUIREMENTS

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Guide to Fire Extinguisher Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance




RELATED: Read more about Class K fire extinguishers

The requirements are broken down into three different sections on inspection, maintenance and testing. In each section there is information on what needs to be done (Procedures), who is allowed to perform the work (Qualifications), how often each step needs to be done (Frequency) and how to document the work (Recordkeeping).

Inspection Procedures

Performing an inspection is the easiest thing you can do to ensure your extinguisher can be used reliably and effectively in an emergency. At a minimum, inspection needs to consist of the following steps:

Qualifications

You are not required to be certified in order to perform an inspection; any knowledgeable, competent person should be able to do it.

Frequency

NFPA 10 requires extinguishers be inspected when they are initially installed and once a month after that. You should inspect extinguishers more frequently if they are installed in locations where they are more prone to rust, impact or tampering.

Recordkeeping

Records of the monthly inspections need to be maintained by either putting a tag or label on the extinguisher or by having it recorded on paper or electronic files. The following items need to be recorded:

These records need to be maintained for at least 12 months.

Maintenance Procedures

Maintenance procedures must include the procedures detailed in the manufacturer's service manual and a thorough examination of the basic elements of the fire extinguisher, including the following:

This is completed by doing an external examination. An internal examination can also be required as part of your maintenance. Details on how to do an internal examination are located in your fire extinguisher service manual.

Qualifications

Maintenance needs to be performed by a certified person. Certification requires that a person take a test acceptable to the AHJ . A certified person needs to, at the very least, be familiar with the requirements in NFPA 10.

Frequency

Fire extinguishers need to have an external maintenance examination conducted on a yearly basis, at the time of hydrostatic test, or when specifically indicated by an inspection discrepancy. Extinguishers need to have an internal examination conducted at anywhere from 1-6 year intervals depending on the type of extinguisher. For example, a dry chemical, stored pressure fire extinguisher must have an internal examination every 6 years, see NFPA 10 Table 7.3.3.1 for more details on other types of fire extinguishers.

Recordkeeping

Each fire extinguisher shall have a tag or label securely attached that indicates that maintenance was performed. The tag or label needs to identify the following:

Extinguishers also need a verification-of-service collar located around the neck of the container if an internal examination was conducted. That collar needs to have:

Hydrostatic Testing Procedures

 A hydrostatic test always begins with an internal and external examination of the extinguisher as described in the maintenance section. The extinguisher then has many of its components removed so it is stripped down to pretty much just the shell and hose and is filled with water at a certain pressure for a certain time. The extinguisher must then be completely dried to get rid of all of the water and is then reassembled and recharged. If there is any leakage, distortion or permanent moving of couplings the cylinder fails the hydrostatic test and it must be condemned.

Qualifications

People who do hydrostatic testing need to know what they are doing because it can be dangerous if performed incorrectly. They need to be trained, certified, and have the correct equipment and facility to perform the testing.

Frequency

Like internal maintenance, hydrostatic testing is done at different intervals based on the type of extinguisher you have. These are done either every 5 or 12 years. See Table 8.3.1 in NFPA 10 to see which applies to your type of  extinguisher.

Recordkeeping

For low pressure cylinders a label is required to be attached to the extinguisher. It needs to contain:

For high pressure cylinders the testers identification number and the date must be stamped onto the shoulder, top, head, neck or foot ring.

This was intended to be a helpful guide to extinguisher ITM but it doesn't contain all the details that the requirements in NFPA 10 contain. Since there are many different types of extinguishers, there are slightly different requirements based on the extinguisher's characteristics. Electronic monitoring, which is a viable option as a replacement for your monthly inspections was also not addressed here. 


EXIT /EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS


One of the life safety systems that needs to be verified is the emergency lighting and exit marking within the building. NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, requires emergency lighting to be provided in designated stairs, aisles, corridors, and passageways leading to an exit in occupancies such as, but not limited to, assembly, educational, hotels, mercantile, and business. The emergency lighting is designed to automatically illuminate for at least 90 minutes upon the loss of power, the opening of a circuit breaker, or a manual act such as the opening of a switch to the normal lighting so the occupants can egress the building safely.

Emergency lighting for buildings is provided in two primary ways. One is to provide the building with an emergency generator and automatic transfer switch that will power a portion of the building’s lights upon loss of power. If that is the case in your building, the ITM performed on the generator must be completed per NFPA 110. The second method consists of providing separate emergency lighting units within the building that connect to the building’s power in order to charge the units’ batteries. Upon loss of power to the unit, the on-board battery then powers the emergency lights. In the case of these separate units, we need to perform ITM to ensure that the batteries are holding a charge, that the bulbs work, and the charge held can operate the lights for the required 90 minutes.

There are three techniques that can be used to ensure that the emergency lighting is operational: manual, self-test, and computer-based. Using the manual method, the emergency lights are operated monthly for at least 30 seconds by utilizing the manufacturer’s procedure—typically a test button that disconnects the main power to the unit—to ensure that the battery is holding more than a residual charge and to ensure that the lights are working. The emergency lights need to be operated on an annual basis for a minimum of 90 minutes to test the full capacity of the batteries.

In the self-test method, the units can test themselves and indicate an issue on the unit via an indicator light. These units do not need to be manually tested monthly or annually, but they need to be inspected every 30 days to make sure they are not damaged and that no indicator lights are on. In the computer-based method, a visual inspection is not required every 30 days, since any issues with the lights encountered during their self tests will be reported and logged via a computer.

NFPA 101 also requires egress signage to be provided in most occupancies—including, but not limited to, assembly, educational, hotels, mercantile, and business—on exits other than main exterior doors that are not obvious and identifiable as exits. These markings need to be visible from any direction of the exit access and are required to be internally or externally illuminated. The illumination of the exit markings needs to be confirmed via a visual inspection at intervals not exceeding 30 days. If the occupancy is also required to have emergency lighting, these illuminated exit signs need to be provided with emergency power. The same methods of testing the emergency lighting can be used for testing the exit marking illumination emergency power as well.

As building owners and facility managers prepare to reopen their buildings to occupants, all required inspection, testing, and maintenance on emergency lighting and exit signs should be up to date. This includes the monthly 30-second test and inspection as well as making sure that the full 90-minute test was completed within the last 12 months. As with all ITM, proper documentation is a must with these tests to verify that all the work was done and to ensure that no required testing is overlooked.



HOOD REQUIREMENTS