Fire extinguisher guidelines require that you have your equipment professionally inspected, tested, and tagged annually. But since fire extinguishers are designed to be a quick-response means of defending your building against fires, they need to be able to work at a moment’s notice all year long! In addition to annual professional inspections, here are some things you can look at on your own each month when performing monthly fire extinguisher inspections to make sure your extinguishers will work when you need them to:

Monthly Fire Extinguisher Inspections

Ensure fire extinguishers are located in their proper places – you should have dedicated areas of your building where fire extinguishers are clearly visible and easily accessible. Make sure everyone in your building knows where these location are.

Inspect for obvious physical damage – important things to look for include the safety pin and tamper seal, signs of corrosion or leakage, clogs in the nozzle, and cracks or dents in the extinguisher shell.

Check the pressure gauge – make sure the needle on the pressure gauge is in the green zone to indicate adequate pressure, but even if it is, lift the fire alarm to make sure it feels heavy enough – these two steps combined are the best way to ensure your extinguisher is ready to be used.

Point the operating instructions outward – the operating instructions and extinguisher nameplate must be legible and clearly visible at all times.

Check the date tag – if it is approaching a full year since your last professional fire extinguisher inspection, call a fire protection services company to set up an inspection. If the tag is missing or damaged, cal right away.

Initial and date the back of the tag – this will indicate that you performed the required inspection.

Fire extinguisher inspections versus fire extinguisher maintenance

Remember that monthly fire extinguisher inspections, while important, are not a substitute for professional fire extinguisher maintenance. I

Contact Jay L Harman Fire Equipment Company TODAY!

If it has been more than 12 months since the date on your fire extinguisher tag and you are looking for fire extinguisher inspection in the El Paso TX or Las Cruces NM areas, call Jay L Harman Fire Equipment Company today

For fire extinguisher inspection in the El Paso TX area, call Jay L Harman Fire Equipment Company at (915) 533-7021 and in the Las Cruces NM area, call (575) 523-8880 or connect with us via email.