Fire Extinguishers: Supply, Maintenance and Hire for UK Businesses

Maintaining fire extinguishers is essential to ensuring fire safety in any establishment. These devices play an important role in preventing and managing fires, protecting both people and property.

Scutum offers specialist maintenance of fire extinguishers, delivering quality services, ensuring compliance and performance. With fire safety a legal requirement, regular maintenance is essential. This includes checks, repairs, troubleshooting and inspections to ensure that the equipment is working properly. Rigorous maintenance ensures that your extinguishers remain operational in the event of an emergency.

A poorly maintained extinguisher may not function properly in the event of a fire, which could lead to serious consequences. Regular checks and proper maintenance ensure that these fire safety devices remain operational and ready for use in an emergency, protecting both occupants and property.

In the UK, fire extinguisher maintenance is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and supported by British Standards such as BS 5306. The Fire Safety Order requires that all fire safety equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

BS 5306 provides detailed guidance on how fire extinguishers should be commissioned, serviced, and maintained, including the frequency and scope of inspections. Together, these ensure that fire extinguishers are regularly maintained by competent persons and remain ready for use.

In establishments that receive members of the public, such as hotels, restaurants or shops, fire extinguishers must be checked annually. For other businesses, a check every two years is required as a minimum, though annual inspection is strongly recommended.

This annual inspection must be carried out by a qualified, approved professional. In addition, more superficial monthly checks should be carried out in-house, without needing to call in a specialist, covering the following points:

• The extinguisher is visible, accessible and has not been moved from its designated location
• The pressure gauge needle is in the correct zone
• The safety pin and tamper seal are intact
• There is no visible physical damage, corrosion or leakage
• The instruction label is legible and intact

Beyond annual inspections, in-depth tests must be carried out at regular intervals. Every five years, a thorough inspection is required, often including internal checks and a recharge of the extinguisher. Every ten years, extinguishers must undergo specific tests to assess their performance and replace the extinguishing agents if necessary.

Visual inspection is the first and one of the most important steps in extinguisher maintenance. It enables any obvious problems that could compromise the effectiveness of the appliance to be identified quickly. This step includes:

Checking and recharging fire extinguishers is also part of the maintenance process. This includes checking the weight and pressure of the extinguisher and confirming that the needle on the pressure gauge is in the green zone. If the pressure is too low or too high, the extinguisher needs to be recharged or repaired.

It is also important to check the date of the last recharge and the expiry date of the extinguishing agent on the label. Extinguishers should be recharged after each use or as recommended by the manufacturer.

Scutum can supply every type of fire extinguisher to commercial premises, identifying the most suitable areas to install each one, ensuring all hazards are mitigated and all legal regulations are complied with.

Portable fire extinguishers should be located throughout your premises in accordance with BS5306 Part 8, the current British Standard for the selection and positioning of portable fire extinguishers.

Scutum are leading providers of fire extinguisher provision, installing and maintaining units for use in all environments. It may be that you only need fire extinguishers on a temporary basis, such as at an outdoor event that requires a certain standard of fire safety by law.

Whether a music concert, summer fair or sporting event, if there are going to be crowds in attendance then a full fire risk assessment and correct safety equipment must be in place, as specified by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.

Scutum supply a wide range of extinguishers of varying types and sizes for temporary events, determining your needs through a fire risk assessment to ensure that your visitors are safe and that you remain in compliance with all regulations. The risk assessment will identify the potential fuels that might be present at the event, and will allow our teams to provide the correct extinguisher type accordingly.

Using a qualified fire safety professional is essential for several reasons. First, it ensures compliance with UK legislation and recognised standards, helping organisations meet their legal obligations. Second, it guarantees that equipment is properly maintained and will function as intended in an emergency, protecting both people and property. Finally, professional servicing provides clear documentation and traceability, demonstrating that maintenance has been carried out correctly and supporting audits, inspections, and insurance requirements.

While basic checks can be carried out in-house, the technical maintenance of fire extinguishers must be performed by a competent professional. This ensures compliance with UK regulations, maintains the reliability of the equipment, and helps safeguard people and property in the event of a fire.

Scutum provides specialist maintenance of fire extinguishers, delivering quality services and ensuring compliance and performance. Our qualified professionals carry out maintenance in full compliance with current regulations, covering checks, repairs, troubleshooting, inspections, and, where needed, temporary hire for events.

Contact Scutum today for fire extinguisher supply, maintenance or temporary event hire.