our service
Fire Extinguishers
BAFE SP101 certified fire extinguisher supply, siting and servicing to BS 5306 for housing providers, hotels and commercial buildings in London.
Our BAFE SP101-certified technicians service extinguishers to BS 5306-3, check each one matches the risk where it is sited, and record every visit on the logbook and our electronic certificates. Missing, damaged or out-of-date extinguishers are replaced and reported, so nothing is left unprotected.
A portable fire extinguisher lets a trained person put out a small fire before it grows, or clear a way to escape. Used on the wrong type of fire, the wrong extinguisher can make things worse: water on an electrical or cooking oil fire, for example, can spread it or cause electric shock. That is why choosing and siting extinguishers is as important as servicing them.
It also means more extinguishers is not always safer. In many blocks of flats, fire safety guidance advises against extinguishers in the common parts, because residents are expected to leave, not stay and fight a fire. In a hotel kitchen, a care home or an office, the opposite is true.
Fire Systems Ltd is a BAFE SP101 certified extinguisher contractor, and has worked in fire protection since 1992. Our technicians site and service extinguishers and fire blankets for housing associations, local authorities, hotels and commercial clients across London and the South East, usually alongside the fire alarm and emergency lighting we already maintain in the same buildings.
BAFE SP101 Certified for Fire Extinguishers
Fire Systems Ltd holds BAFE SP101 third-party certification for the sourcing, commissioning, siting, servicing and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers. The scheme independently audits our procedures and checks that our technicians are competent to BS 5306-3.
Our extinguisher technicians hold FETA portable fire extinguisher servicing training and manufacturer training, with qualifications and refresher dates held in our Mango QMS. Our Commercial Director, Will Mason, and Technical Manager, Dax Patel, both hold FETA extinguisher qualifications alongside their FIA fire alarm qualifications.
SP101 sits alongside our other certifications: BAFE SP203-1 (fire alarms), SP203-4 (emergency lighting), SP207 (evacuation alert systems), DS301 (domestic detection), IFC SDI 19 (smoke control), NICEIC, and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001.
The Regulations and Standards Behind Fire Extinguishers
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Article 13 requires the responsible person to provide appropriate firefighting equipment where necessary, based on the fire risk assessment. Article 17 requires it to be maintained in efficient working order.
BS 5306-8:2023. The code of practice for selecting and positioning portable extinguishers: what type and how many each area needs, and where they should be placed.
BS 5306-3. The code of practice for commissioning and maintaining portable extinguishers, including annual basic servicing, five-yearly extended servicing and ten-yearly overhauls of CO2 extinguishers.
BS EN 3. The product standard extinguishers must be made to, including the fire classes and ratings on the label.
BS EN 1869. The standard for fire blankets, commonly used in kitchens.
Guidance for housing. The Local Government Association guide for purpose-built blocks of flats and the NFCC guidance on specialised housing help decide where extinguishers are and aren't appropriate in residential buildings.
Every extinguisher should match the fire risk where it is sited: water or foam for paper and wood, CO2 for electrical equipment, wet chemical for cooking oil, and specialist powders for metals. We check this at every visit, not just whether the gauge is in the green.
Which Buildings Need Extinguishers, and Which Don't
The fire risk assessment should decide whether extinguishers are needed and where. These are the patterns we see across the buildings we look after.
Hotels and guest accommodation: Commercial kitchens, plant rooms, laundries and staff areas need the right extinguishers and trained staff. Guests are asleep at night, so a small fire tackled quickly by staff can prevent a full evacuation.
Sheltered and supported housing: Communal kitchens, lounges, laundries and offices usually need extinguishers and fire blankets for staff use. Residents' flats with their own kitchens may need a fire blanket, depending on the assessment.
General needs blocks of flats: Common parts often need no extinguishers at all, apart from plant rooms, lift motor rooms and bin stores. Removing unnecessary units reduces cost, theft and the risk of residents staying to fight a fire.
Offices, community buildings and commercial units: Extinguishers should cover each floor, escape route and special risk, such as server rooms and kitchens.
Not sure whether you have too many extinguishers, too few or the wrong types? We survey the building against your fire risk assessment and BS 5306-8 and give you a clear, costed recommendation.
Extinguisher Servicing to BS 5306-3
BS 5306-3 requires every portable extinguisher to be serviced at least once a year by a competent person, with more thorough servicing at set intervals.
Every year, a basic service:
Extinguisher checked against the fire risk where it is sited
Pressure, weight, seals, safety pins, hoses and horns checked
Labels, instructions and service records checked and updated
Mounting brackets, stands and signage checked
Fire blankets removed from their holders, inspected, refolded and replaced
At longer intervals:
Every 5 years, an extended service with a test discharge for water, foam and powder extinguishers, which are then refilled or replaced
Every 10 years, an overhaul or replacement of CO2 extinguishers
Missing, damaged, discharged or out-of-date units are replaced and reported, so nothing is left unprotected. Every visit is recorded in the site logbook and in our Infor ERP system, with electronic certificates and an up-to-date asset list for each building.
How we look after extinguishers across a portfolio
Asset survey. On a new contract we record the type, size, location and age of every extinguisher, fire blanket and hose reel, and tag each asset so it can be tracked.
Right-sizing. We compare what is installed with the fire risk assessment and BS 5306-8, and recommend where units should be added, changed or removed.
Planned servicing. Visits are scheduled by postcode and combined with fire alarm and emergency lighting servicing in the same building where possible, so residents and staff see fewer contractors.
Clear reporting. Defects are reported with photos and a quotation, and you can see the status of every asset and outstanding action.
Training. We can show scheme staff and building managers which extinguisher to use on which fire, and when not to use one at all.
Extinguishers and fire blankets form part of the planned servicing we deliver for housing providers covering thousands of homes in London and the South East, including high-rise, sheltered and supported housing.
“The right extinguisher in the right place. And sometimes, no extinguisher at all.”
Fire Systems Ltd services and sites extinguishers to BS 5306 as part of a whole-building fire safety service, guided by each building's fire risk assessment.
In Practice: The First Service Visit at a Supported Housing Scheme
A housing association asks us to take over the firefighting equipment at a three-storey supported housing scheme. It has a staffed office, a communal kitchen and dining area, a laundry, communal heating and lifts, and some flats have their own kitchens. Staff are not on site around the clock.
Before the visit. We ask for the fire risk assessment, which should say what firefighting equipment the building needs and where. The engineer receives the access details, site contacts and asset list on their handheld device.
On site. The engineer reads the fire logbook for any faults or incidents since the last visit, then services every extinguisher and fire blanket. Each unit is checked against the risk where it is sited: wet chemical and a fire blanket in the communal kitchen, CO2 by electrical intake cupboards, and the right cover in the laundry and plant room.
Advice to the client. If the equipment does not match the assessment, or there is no assessment, the engineer surveys the building against BS 5306-8, the NFCC guidance on specialised housing and the relevant British Standards, and records recommendations. These might include fire blankets in individual kitchens, or links between the fire alarm and the warden call system.
Reporting. Results are recorded in the logbook and our system. The client receives a service report, a certificate and a quotation for any recommended work.
The same visit can often cover the fire alarm and emergency lighting too, so the scheme manager deals with one contractor and residents see fewer visits.
Fire Extinguisher Questions We Are Often Asked
How often should fire extinguishers be serviced?
BS 5306-3 requires a basic service by a competent person every year. Water, foam and powder extinguishers also need an extended service with a test discharge every five years, and CO2 extinguishers an overhaul every ten years. A quick monthly visual check by the building's own staff is also recommended.
Do blocks of flats need fire extinguishers in the corridors?
Usually not. Guidance for purpose-built flats generally advises against extinguishers in common parts, because residents should leave rather than stay and fight a fire. Plant rooms, lift motor rooms and staff areas are the exception. Your fire risk assessment should decide.
Which extinguisher should be used on which fire?
Water or foam for paper, wood and textiles. CO2 for electrical equipment. Wet chemical for cooking oil and fat fires. Specialist powder for flammable metals. Using the wrong type can spread a fire or cause electric shock, which is why siting matters as much as servicing.
Does a kitchen need a fire blanket?
Fire blankets are recommended in kitchens, including communal kitchens in sheltered and supported housing and staff kitchens in offices and hotels. They are serviced at the same time as the extinguishers.
Who can service fire extinguishers?
A competent person working to BS 5306-3. BAFE SP101 certification, which Fire Systems Ltd holds, shows a company's extinguisher work and technicians have been independently audited.
