It's important to ensure that your commercial fire extinguishers are in place and fully functional as these units are crucial for building safety. While no one wants to imagine the possibility of a fire in their commercial property, it's important to ensure that, should a fire occur, you will have the right tools to combat it. One of the ways to make sure your fire extinguishers are ready for use is to get them regularly inspected and serviced. Here's what you need to know about these processes.

Getting On-Time Inspections

According to the NFPA 10, fire extinguishers should be inspected when they are first installed and once a month after that. You should carry out more frequent inspections if the extinguishers are located in areas that are prone to rust, impact, or tampering. Fire extinguisher inspections are conducted by trained individuals who give a “verification of service” tag and collar to the extinguishers once they pass inspection. These carry the date of inspection and the initials of the inspector.

Ensuring Accessibility

The fire extinguisher inspection also checks things like where the fire extinguisher is placed and whether it's easily accessible. It's important to ensure that your fire extinguisher is conveniently located. Even if the unit is new and fully functional, positioning it where people won't be able to reach it defeats the purpose. Fire extinguishers should be easily accessible and away from sources of heat. The inspector also checks to confirm that the device is completely charged and that you are using the correct type of extinguisher for your building's particular fire hazards.

Checking Viability

Part of fire extinguisher maintenance involves checking whether your unit is still viable. A fire extinguisher inspector will check the manufacturing date of your device and go through previous maintenance visits to see what was done and if there were any concerns. Apart from that, the fire extinguisher will be checked for damage. If there's damage, repairs will be done to ensure that the device won't fail when needed.

It's important to ensure that your fire extinguisher is maintained regularly. This will help keep your commercial building safe and up to fire code. If you're interested in learning more about commercial fire extinguisher maintenance, get in touch with our team today at Gorham Fire Appliance Co. We would love to hear from you.