I am looking for help for the Church.
We currently have our fire extinguishers provided and service by a well known maker of locks and safes!
Every year they try to convince us we need more extinguishers (we have done the risk assessment) and that the older ones need replacing.
What are the rules on providing extinguishers from companies such as Screwfix and has anyone any experience of the 10 year maintenance free variety?
Thanks
Have you considered asking your local fire brigade for advice?
There are plenty of smaller companies who carry out fire extinguisher maintainance. You don't need to use C****. They are expensive. If you told us where you are based, you might get recommendations. I suggest you check with your insurance company before moving away from an annual check of your appliances.
For a check on your own Risk Assessment you cam always ask the local Fire Service. As Surrey Fire Service told my Village Hall, Fire extinguishers are to help a safe exit for people, not to fight a fire.
I used to have this responsibility when back in Twickenham. Funnily enough every year's 'free' inspection threw up an extinguisher that needed to be replaced or recharged. But it's a CYA situation so you feel you have little option but to pay up.
What fire related qualifications does your risk assessor have? If none, I would recommend asking the local fire brigade to send round their Fire Prevention Officer, to give you impartial advice.
The first thing to do is ask your insurance company whether they would be happy with non-maintained fire extinguishers. The next, I suspect, is to look for a cheaper maintenance company.
Colin Bignell
I did the same thing C**** were ripping us off, the sales rep appeared within 30 minutes of us informing the engineer that we didn't want them anymore. He spun such a pack of 'untruths' about the legality of what we were doing that he convinced us that we were right to get rid of them!
However I sourced extinguishers from the internet at a fraction of the price C***** wanted but the insurance company wanted them certified and serviced and recommended Thameside Fire. They came and certified all the extinguishers I had bought (it's not rocket science to weigh an extinguisher and ensure it's properly assembled, but you need to have your insurance company happy!) Thameside now come every six months and test the C***** alarm, etc for a fraction of the C**** price.
As for quantities the objective of a fire extinguisher is to allow every one to get out safely which is the priority, if you can't put out the fire within a few moments then leave and call the professionals!!
Similar thing with burglar alarm insurance company weren't happy that I had installed it (not NACOSS registered), but since they wouldn't give a discount for having it we said please pretend it's not there. We have the comfort of an alarm that phones if there is a potential problem and with good CCTV I don't even need to leave home to check what's going on. Police happy to respond when I reported undesirables on the roof, however as soon as the alarm rang they were away (they no longer live in the locality according to the local PCSO).
Peter (Surrey)
Where I work, a university some fire marshals take a fire extinguisher with them when leaving the building (when the fire alarm goes off), to me that makes little sense unless you've decided to escape in the direction of the fire. My worry would be leaving an area without it's own fire extinguisher could put someone in danger but the argument seems to be that the area should have been cleared first. I'm not sure what is the right thing to do other than get out fast.
They have always been expensive, their engineers are on commission. You may well be tied into a 10 year contract. Get a quote from a local company who will do the assessment free of charge. The assessment is not difficult. If happy, cancel Chubb if you are not tied to them. Woops! The 10 year plastic maintenance free extinguishers do not seem to have taken off. Personally I would not trust or go for them.
I am reminded of the speaker at a FBU conference some years ago. He held up a fire extinguisher that his wife had bought from a door-to-door salesman. As the salesman said it carries a BS number. Unfortunatly, it's the BS for Condensed Milk!
Too much fat for putting out fires :)
Can extinguishers be serviced for less than replacement?
NT
Considerably less IME. I used to use Mid Sussex Fire, who were very good. I think they were taken over by Connaught though.
Colin Bignell
I mentioned here this a while ago:
Avoid dry powder.
| The vicar and wardens of a historic church in Lincolnshire have lost a | legal battle after three teenagers went on the rampage with a fire | extinguisher, causing £240,000 of damage.
| The Court of Appeal ruled that even if the church had been | specifically warned about the damage that could be caused by the dry | powder extinguisher supplied by Chubb Fire, it would still have been | bought for the kitchen in the vestry.
Hmmm. Chubb make locks and safes.
| Further to this one, the Ecclesiastical Insurance Office asked all its | clients to remove DP extinguishers from their premises as soon as | possible.
| I understand the church organ had to be dismantled to clean out the | powder that had got into it, and scaffolding erected to clean the DP | off high-level ledges and other places so that damage to stonework was | avoided.
When I worked in a research lab with lots of hazards and three types of extinguisher at most fire points we were given very thorough training on the types, and how we should only use dry powder if absolutely necessary.
We all (including the fire dept) thought it was a really retrograde step when they *all* had to be painted red to meet EU standards.
For one thing, it isn't very effective on anything except open flames. I think it was the only type I didn't have in any of my factories.
I can see the logic of them being predominantly red, but it would have been useful to have the top in a distinctive colour in the style of some compressed gas cylinders. The AFFF extinguisher I have only has the text in cream.
Colin Bignell
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