You may have robust fire safety systems in place for your commercial building, but when was the last time you checked your fire extinguishers and confirmed they were ready for an emergency? During a fire emergency, uninspected fire extinguishers can serve as a hazardous liability, instead of an asset.
A fire extinguisher in a commercial building can save lives, but only with a dedicated maintenance schedule. In this guide, we will cover the vital inspection schedules that can keep your fire safety systems in top-tier condition and how maintenance from Wilson Fire Equipment technicians can positively impact your building’s overall security.
The Importance of Fire Extinguisher Maintenance for Your Building’s Safety System
When a fire breaks out in your commercial building, you may think it couldn’t get any worse. Unfortunately, a common way that things can quickly go from bad to worse is a malfunctioning fire extinguisher in your time of need. By investing your time and energy in regular fire extinguisher inspections and maintenance, you can enhance your entire building’s fire safety system and instill a new level of trust among your staff and guests.
The primary reason that inspection is so crucial is that it gives you confidence in your equipment. By having complete trust that your system is ready to go at all times, you can sleep well knowing you have set yourself up for success when an emergency occurs.
Often, entities like OSHA require a specific level of protection against fires within a workplace. This makes it not only encouraged, but legally required to pay attention to your equipment and its upkeep. If you ignore these regulations, it can lead to fines, penalties, and liability in the event of a fire-related lawsuit.,
Types of Fire Extinguisher: A Guide to Your Safety System Essential
Before you check your extinguisher and go about your day confident in its firefighting abilities, it is essential to understand the specific type of fire it is designed to extinguish. When facing a dangerous fire, using the wrong type of extinguisher can be more detrimental than just being ineffective; it can exacerbate an already hazardous situation. The most common type of fire extinguishers for commercial fire safety systems are ABC fire extinguishers, as they can fight a variety of combustible materials, including:
- Type A: This includes ordinary combustible materials such as wood, paper, cloth, plastics, or other types of garbage.
- Type B: Type B combustibles can include flammable liquids and gases like gasoline, oil, grease, paint, and propane.
- Type C: Electrical fires are classified as a type C combustible, which includes energized electrical equipment, such as appliances, wiring, and other materials with an electrical current.
ABC fire extinguishers are able to fight a variety of unique materials due to their chemical makeup. They spray a monoammonium phosphate dry chemical that completely smothers the fire – effectively preventing any risk of reignition.
Along with ABC fire extinguishers, CO2 fire extinguishers are also common for commercial buildings. They help displace oxygen with a blast of carbon dioxide. These units are ideal for areas with sensitive equipment present, as they leave no residue or mess that could impact operations.
Your Fire Safety System Inspection Checklist: Stay Ready!
Even if your fire extinguisher’s safety gauge is green and appears ready for action, that is only part of the story. To ensure optimal safety in the event of a fire emergency within your Houston commercial building, a multi-tiered, full-scope maintenance plan is non-negotiable. Within this maintenance plan, there are two functions – daily or weekly inspections you can add to your daily routine, and long-term strategize maintenance from Wilson Fire Equipment’s technicians to prevent any significant speedbumps. Visual checks you can add to your weekly routine include:
- Accessibility: Is your fire extinguisher easily accessible and not blocked? Be sure to check that it is easily identified and can be grabbed quickly if needed.
- Pressure gauge: Be sure to check that the pressure gauge needle is resting in the green zone, indicating that your extinguisher has the required power to successfully put out a fire.
- Pin and seal: Checking the tamper seal to make sure it is intact and that the pin remains in place is a good way to make sure that the extinguisher is new, unused, and hasn’t been tampered with.
- Nozzle and hose: One important factor when inspecting the nozzle and hose of your fire extinguisher is making sure there are no obstructions that could potentially stop the flow of the solution.
- Labels: Since different fire extinguishers are designed to fight vastly different types of fires, making sure the label is visible and accurate is imperative.
To mandate these checks efficiently, create a document where your team can document and sign off on all aspects of the visual check.
Annual Maintenance Inspections: Calling in the Fire Safety System Experts
The complete fire system safety inspection timeline goes significantly deeper than just a quick visual check. It requires working with a dependable team like Wilson Fire Equipment to give you the complete confidence that your fire safety system has your back when you need it. We recommend a thorough annual inspection to be sure that all vital internal components are operating at full capacity.
During our annual inspection, our technicians go beyond the basics and begin by looking carefully for any unsuspecting dents, cracks, or mild corrosion on the cylinder. Even a small disruption in this element can lead to complete system failure due to the inability to maintain pressure, making it virtually useless when you need it most. At the farthest side of the spectrum, this type of damage can even cause dangerous explosions due to the pressure inside the cylinder rupturing. This risk can be hugely dangerous for everyone within your commercial building, making professional inspection vital.
Additionally, we check the extinguishing agent, whatever type of agent your extinguisher contains, and fill it up if it needs any additional fluid. During our professional inspection of your building’s fire safety system, we attach a new service tag and seal to your extinguishers. We do this to provide clear documentation of the most recent inspection date for each unit. This helps our clients stay on track with their maintenance schedules and on top of their fire safety systems for their Houston commercial buildings.
Securing Your Building’s Safety System with Fire Extinguisher Maintenance
Regardless of what you may think, fire extinguisher maintenance is much more than just a suggestion. It requires more than just a quick visual check or a once-in-a-while look-over; it is vital to combine monthly visual checks, annual professional inspections, and periodic replacements in order to create a full-scale, dependable fire safety system for your building in Houston. Don’t let your equipment fail you when you need it most. Let our team at Wilson Fire help you keep your fire safety system in good condition, year-round. We’ve been protecting our clients from equipment malfunction since 1916, and our Google reviews prove it.
“Great service and amazing people! They helped us get our fire suppression system put in, in a timely manner, so we wouldn’t have to be shut down for too long! Thank you again for all your hard work!” – April and Courtney Watson
Contact us for more information on fire safety system inspections and how Wilson Fire Equipment can help protect your commercial building.