Fire equipment – more

Last week we focused on discovery visits with new clients, and fire extinguisher, hose reel, hydrant checking. . Here is a bit more.

Fire extinguisher Maintenance Melbourne

One thing to check is the pressure gauge – it\’s small and simple, but gives a helpful indication that your extinguisher is ready to perform when you need it. Don\’t be mistaken that it looks like a kids toy – it does the job – it leads a pretty quiet life and will generally be replaced in 5 years, as part of your mandatory fire extinguisher maintenance program.

Image 1 Image 2

Image 1 & Image 2
Here is one showing that the contents
are stored in the required \”green\”
pressure range, with a pressure
of 1000 kPa.

Image 3

 

 

Image 3
And here is another which was discovered in the premises of a new client.

Here the needle is in the \”red\” zone,
on the left side of the gauge, indicating no pressure

 

 

 

We\’d like to say we picked this up on our initial equipment discovery visit, but sadly not. The number of extinguishers we found was sufficient to meet requirements, however this \”extra\” extinguisher was located in a non-standard sort of a place. In fact it may have had someone\’s coat hanging on it at the time. And it certainly did not have the required signage to flag its presence in a highly visible way, nor the immediately adjacent \”contents\” sign (see Week 25 post). Judging from the yellow tag on it, it had been overlooked for some time (since June 2005!) by previous service providers. It was found on a remediation visit soon after our initial visit and immediately removed from the premises.

What should have happened

fire fire extinguisher sign melbourne

The requirement is for extinguishers to be securely mounted at a convenient height for operator access. There should be a sign adjacent confirming the contents. There will be another sign (Image 4) to flag the presence of the extinguisher intended to be seen from across the room or building, flat to the wall or perpendicular to the wall where required,

The extinguisher itself will have a label to indicate contents, the type of fire these contents are to be used for and with instructions for its use. Each of these requirements is important and could be critical in the event of a fire. Access to all fire equipment must be unimpeded.

And of course all fire extinguishers, fire hose reel and fire hydrants should have a 6 monthly check to ensure all these requirements are still being met.

We can help

Call us 1300 134 971 for your 6 monthly fire equipment checks, or invite us along for a voyage of discovery in your premises and get with the program.

Check out our other blog at;

Fire equipment – more

 

 

 

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