Fire Extinguishers

Installations

Design

Installation

Commissioning

Fire Extinguishers – A simple guide

Fire Extinguisher regulations form part of the RRO (Regulatory Reform Order 2005), and all non-domestic premises, with a few minor exceptions, come under this order.

Interpreting this order, and finding out what you need if you are not a Fire Safety professional, can be difficult, so we have simplified and covered some of the most basic principles below.

Fire Extinguisher Types

Do I need to have Fire Extinguishers? What type of Fire Extinguishers Do I need?

Regulations state you should have a minimum of two “Class A” Extinguishers on every storey of the building. Class A Fire Extinguishers are those which put out wood or paper fires. The types of Fire Extinguishers meeting this regulation are 3 litre Foam Extinguishers, 6 litre Foam Extinguishers, or 9 litre Water Extinguishers. There is one exception to the rule, when your premises if very small and it would be a hindrance to escape having two extinguishers, for example a newspaper kiosk.

You usually also need other types of fire extinguishers if you have certain types of equipment in your premises, for example electrical equipment. All premises with electrical equipment must have at least 2kg CO2 extinguishers. Where there is 415 volt rated equipment, you need 5kg CO2 extinguishers.
If there is a risk of gas fire at your premises, for example in boiler rooms, you will need Dry Powder Extinguishers (these are not recommended for other indoor use)
Wet Chemical Extinguishers are used for kitchens and deep fat fryers. Extinguishers should usually be positioned within arms-reach of the specified hazard.

Fire Extinguishers Installation

Where should Fire Extinguishers be located?

The “standard Pair” water-based and CO2 Fire Extinguishers should usually be placed at Fire- Alarm Call points, entrances and exits.

In situations where you have a very large premises, and a number more entrances, exits and call-points than you do extinguishers, then the 30m rule applies.

The 30m rule comes from the current UK British standards (BS5306) and states that you should be no more than 30m from the appropriate extinguisher on any given level of your premises.

How should Fire Extinguishers be fitted?

To comply with the Fire Regulations, Fire Extinguishers should be either fixed to the wall or attached to a stand. This is to discourage improper use.

All extinguishers should have clear signage also fixed to the stand or wall, so that staff can see how, and when to use them.

Fire extinguishers must be commissioned by an on-site competent person, usually someone who has passed a BAFE fire extinguisher exam or other equivalent, and they cannot be commissioned before install, in case of installation issues or faults which arise through transportation. This means that even if you buy fire extinguishers online, you will usually need to contact a Fire Company or competent person to ensure you are compliant with Fire Extinguisher Regulations.

Commissioning simply means that your Extinguishers have been approved as good for use. The competent person will check things like assembly and that they are the right weight or pressure. Once they have been commissioned you will be issued a certificate and thus have evidence they are compliant with current UK legislation.

Fire Extinguishers Commissioning

What is Fire Extinguisher Commissioning?

Commissioning simply means that your Extinguishers have been approved as good for use. The competent person will check things like assembly and that they are the right weight or pressure.

Once they have been commissioned you will be issued a certificate and thus have evidence they are compliant with current UK legislation.On completion of the installation of the fire extinguishers MD Bros will always provide a certificate which should be displayed on your business premise.

We also provide a 12 month warranty on all installations which includes labour charges for any call out visits required.

Get In Touch

If you have any questions about the above information, or you would like us to provide a completely free Portable Fire Extinguisher Installation quote, please do not hesitate to contact us.