FEMA Fire Facts
A Balanced Fire Protection Plan is Critical in the First Few Minutes
When fires are extinguished in the early stages:
- Loss of life is minimal. 93 percent of all fire-related deaths occur once the fire has progressed beyond the early stages.
- Direct property damage is minimal. 95 percent of all direct property damage occur once the fire has progressed beyond the early stages.
Source: 1991-1995 NFIRS study
- The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires that every building or structure be designed, constructed, and maintained to protect occupants who are not intimate with the initial fire development for the time needed to evacuate, relocate, or defend in place.
- According to the NFPA, a successful balanced fire protection plan should be designed so that reliance for safety to life does not depend solely on any single safeguard. Additional safeguards shall be provided for life safety in case any single safeguard is ineffective due to inappropriate human actions or system failure.
Services
Fire Extinguisher Inspections
Monthly Inspection
"Fire extinguishers shall be inspected when initially placed in service and thereafter at approximately 30-day intervals. Fire extinguishers shall be inspected, manually or by electronic monitoring, at more frequent intervals when circumstances require...and shall include a check of at least the following items:
(1) Location in designated place
(2) No obstruction to access or visibility
(3) Operating instructions on nameplate legible and facing outward
(4)* Safety seals and tamper indicators not broken or missing
(5) Fullness determined by weighing or “hefting”
(6) Examination for obvious physical damage, corrosion, leakage, or clogged nozzle
(7) Pressure gauge reading or indicator in the operable range or position
(8) Condition of tires, wheels, carriage, hose, and nozzle checked (for wheeled units)
(9) HMIS (hazardous materials identification systems) label in place"
- NFPA 10 - 6.2 - Inspection
Annual Inspection
"Fire extinguishers shall be subjected to maintenance at intervals of not more than 1 year, at the time of hydrostatic test, or when specifically indicated by an inspection or electronic notification... and shall include a thorough examination of the basic elements of a fire extinguisher as determined below:
(1) Mechanical parts of all fire extinguishers
(2) Extinguishing agent of cartridge- or cylinder-operated dry chemical, stored-pressure, loaded stream, and pump tank fire extinguishers
(3) Expelling means of all fire extinguishers
Every 6 years, stored-pressure fire extinguishers that require a 12-year hydrostatic test shall be emptied and subjected to the applicable maintenance procedures. When the applicable maintenance procedures are performed during periodic recharging or hydrostatic testing, the 6-year requirement shall begin from that date. - NFPA 10 - 6.3 - Maintenance
Hydrotest Frequency
"At intervals not exceeding those specified in the table below, fire extinguishers shall be hydrostatically retested. The hydrostatic retest shall be conducted within the calendar year of the specified test interval. In no case shall an extinguisher be recharged if it is beyond its specified retest date."
Extinguisher Type |
Test Interval (Years) |
| Stored-pressure water, loaded stream, and/or antifreeze | 5 |
| Wetting agent | 5 |
| AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) | 5 |
| FFFP (film-forming fluoroprotein foam) | 5 |
| Dry chemical with stainless steel shells | 5 |
| Carbon dioxide | 5 |
| Wet chemical | 5 |
| Dry chemical, stored-pressure, with mild steel shells, brazed brass shells, or aluminum shells | 12 |
| Dry chemical, cartridge- or cylinder-operated, with mild steel shells | 12 |
| Halogenated agents | 12 |
| Dry powder, stored-pressure, cartridge- or cylinder-operated, with mild steel shells | 12 |
Note: Stored-pressure water extinguishers with fiberglass shells (pre-1976) are prohibited from hydrostatic testing due to manufacturer’s recall. - NFPA 10 - 7.2 - Hydrotest Frequency