Your fire extinguisher has been working for a while and you're wondering whether it's time to retire it.. After all you've been through together, you'd like to go one step further with him, but a tired fire extinguisher can no longer keep you safe security as on the first day.. What can I do? How do you know if it's just good for decoration or destined for the scrap heap? Is it possible to give it a second lease of life to extend its life? length of service so many questions that it's not always easy to answer... So here's a summary of what's going on.. main information about this subject.

Official regulations

Having equipment at your disposal that is maintained in good working order is a key factor in your success fundamental regulatory objectiveeffective protection is essential, especially as the effectiveness of extinguishers depends on good maintenance.

It is standard NFS 61-919 it distinguishes between two types control :

• Inspections that can be carried out by the user.
• Maintenance, which must be carried out by a competent person.

Inspections are voluntary and can be done every three monthsduring an inspection, plant staff or a qualified auditor will check the following points:

• All the appliances are in the right place.
• They are perfectly accessible, clearly visible and in good external condition.
• Instructions for use are clearly displayed, legible and facing outwards.
• The pressure indicator needles are located in the green section (for extinguishers with a pressure gauge).
• The security seals on the pin are not broken or missing.

Maintenance must be carried out every yearbut what do we mean by "? competent person "It's a " person employed by a certified company or organisation who has the required training and experience "[1]the course in question gives access to the diploma extinguisher testing agent. Once the inspector has completed his task, he must record the " verification " and affix the date of verification to the extinguisher label.

In addition to their specific characteristics, the service and maintenance intervals are as follows:

What about recharging and servicing?

According to standard NFS 61-919, extinguishers must be recharged or even replaced after they have been used, whether partially or totally. The labels of the extinguishers concerned by this operation must then be updated with the words " recharged " and the date of recharging.

Workshop revisionthis must be carried out in a workshop approved by one of the manufacturers and which has the appropriate equipment, personnel and documents. Information on this subject can be found in Annex D of the above-mentioned standard. However, this operation can be expensive, so it may be more advantageous to buy a new fire extinguisher.

Various documents have also been written to provide users with the best possible guidance:

• The APSAD R4 standard published by CNPP, defines the minimum maintenance requirements for fire extinguisher installations in industrial, commercial and service sector buildings, and can be used as a contractual basis between insurer and insured.
• A practical guide to the maintenance of portable, mobile and fixed fire extinguishers is a very good source of information.

In addition, it is always useful to carry out the steps following :

• Check that fire extinguishers are always appropriate to the risks.
• Make sure they are always in the right place.
• Find out about new types of equipment coming onto the market.

Once you have fulfilled these obligations, it is important to reference them in the security logbook in order to monitor them effectively.

[1] http://www.inrs.fr/media.html?refINRS=ED%206054