The current British standard (BS 5306-3/2017) stipulates that all fire extinguishing equipment is commissioned on-site, by a *competent person. 

 

When fire extinguishers are purchased from an internet site, cheaper costs do not necessarily equate to a good saving. The reason is that any extinguisher purchased must be commissioned by law. 

 

Mail-orders and internet purchases are often delivered by a person who is unqualified in the theory and practice of servicing portable fire extinguishers and therefore extinguishers will not be ‘commissioned,’ when it is delivered to you. When the extinguishers are dispatched, there could be untold damage, they could potentially have been discharged or lost pressure on the way to your location. 

 

Any damage to extinguishers such as a loss of pressure, loss of extinguishant (i.e. water, co2, foam, powder etc), bent or broken carrying handles, missing or damaged hoses could make the extinguisher inoperable and potentially dangerous, many of these issues can arise in transit to your location, once the supplier has already declared the extinguisher ‘fit for operation’ which could put lives at risk, especially if the supplier has not taken adequate steps to protect the equipment prior to dispatch. 

 

Also, part of the service that Midland Fire provides is to ensure that the correct extinguishers at the correct location for the specific type of fire risk, something which may have been overlooked. 

 

Pre-servicing or pre-labelling is also forbidden because when purchasing fire extinguishers which are to be installed in accordance with BS 5306:3 then they must be commissioned on site, or alternatively they can be installed and commissioned at a later date by an experienced servicing company such as Midland Fire ltd. 

 

Furthermore the “Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order” states that any equipment must be subject to a suitable system of maintenance to ensure that it is in efficient working order and in good repair to be in accordance with the current specification. 

 

Conformity to the current British standard is necessary if you are a business or property owner particularly when a fire risk assessment has to be carried out. Upon completion of the commissioning or servicing procedures the extinguisher must then be positioned and installed in accordance with another British standard B.S.5306-8. 

 

The price of fire protection equipment provided by Midland Fire is not only determined by the basic costs of its production and delivery cost to your address. In order that we maintain our high standard of service, that we are very proud of, we must allow for additional costs such as the cost of vehicle purchase, extinguisher parts, administration costs, fuel, tools, training, spare parts and of course our qualified, and experienced technicians who are fully capable of maintaining all types, sizes, and manufacturers of fire protection equipment.