Fire extinguishers and your company obligations

Companies have a legal obligation to install and maintain fire fighting equipment to protect you, your employees and the general public. Without doubt it is a legal obligation but one which we at C|S|M make effortless as our BAFE approved service engineers will carry out your servicing in accordance to BS5306 ensuring you remain compliant.

Fire Extinguishers in London servicing and supply The number and type of fire extinguishers you require depends on the nature of your business and the risks involved. The best way to evaluate these risks is to undertake a Fire Risk Assessment, which is also part of your legal obligation as a business owner and which our trained engineers are qualified to carry out

What types of fire extinguishers does my business need?

This all depends on the type of business you have, but again, our qualified staff know all the facts and figures because all areas of your property may differ in their use.

For example, take a company which has a showroom, office, workshop, store and flammable storage, then these areas need to be broken down and each considered on its own requirements. So you then have the office, showroom and store that probably have similar needs, whereas the workshop and flammable areas have different needs.

Classes of fire extinguisher types

Our assessors will tell you precisely which extinguishers you need, but briefly these below are the most commonly used:

1) Water fire extinguishers and water additive are the most common found in business premises and these are particularly suitable for Class A fires.

2) Foam fire extinguishers are normally the AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) type of extinguisher, which seals the fire with a foam film to extinguish the flames. These are suitable for use on Class A and B fires.

3) Carbon Dioxide or CO2 fire extinguishers are 'dry' extinguishers and, therefore, are suitable for fires involving electricity and electrical equipment, and Class B fires.

4) Dry powder fire extinguishers are the best all-rounder extinguisher for areas with a variety of fire risks. Standard or ‘BC’ powder is still in use with Monnex being the best known.

5) Wet Chemical fire extinguishers are for Class F fat and oil fires, but can also be used on Class A fires.

Where to position fire fighting equipment

Positioning is extremely important as every second counts in an emergency situation but for most buildings the best place to fix your extinguishers is by the main entrance as this would also be the main exit which makes it an obvious place to find fire fighting equipment.

There are many other places of course but our qualified technicians are fully conversant with the laws regarding this, and they will recommend the best sites for all fire fighting equipment.

Annual maintenance and monthly inspections

We strongly recommend you only use a qualified technician from a BAFE approved company, as ours are. It is worth considering as part of your commercial maintenance plan.

How to save money on your maintenance

Use a genuine service company such as C|S|M, maintenance contractors in London, who just do exactly what is required and do it well. They can also complete pre-planned maintenance too. A good sign is that they have worked on building maintenance locally for many years or that the company occasionally visits to audit the technician's work and give you peace of mind. we also look after other parts of your commercial building. We can complete air conditioning servicing.

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