Fire Extinguisher Servicing Requirements: BS 5306-3 Explained
- Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order requires fire-fighting equipment to be maintained in an efficient state, in working order and in good repair.
- BS 5306-3 is the recognised standard: a basic service every 12 months by a competent person, an extended service at 5 years for water, foam and powder, and at 10 years for CO2.
- Monthly visual checks can be done in-house; the annual and extended services should be done by a competent engineer and recorded.
- Third-party certification, such as BAFE SP101, is the simplest way to evidence competence.
Fire extinguishers sit on walls for years looking fine, which is exactly the problem. Pressure leaks, seals perish, powder compacts and nobody notices until the one time it matters. The law requires the equipment to be maintained in efficient working order, and British Standard BS 5306-3 is the recognised way of doing that. Here is what servicing actually requires.
The legal duty
Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order requires the responsible person to ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided for fire safety are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. Extinguishers are the most visible example. The Order does not name a standard; BS 5306-3 is what the fire service, insurers and the industry treat as the benchmark.
General information, not legal advice.
The annual basic service
Every portable extinguisher should have a basic service at intervals not exceeding 12 months, by a competent person. The engineer checks the extinguisher is the right type and correctly sited, examines the body, hose, horn and safety pin, checks the pressure gauge or weighs the cylinder, checks the operating mechanism, confirms the contents are within date, and records the service on the extinguisher label and in your records. Any unit that fails is replaced or taken out of service.
Extended service at 5 and 10 years
Beyond the annual check, BS 5306-3 calls for an extended service: for water, foam and powder extinguishers, every 5 years, which involves discharging, inspecting internally and refilling or replacing; for CO2 extinguishers, every 10 years, which typically means pressure testing or replacement. Many businesses find replacement cheaper than extended service on smaller units. Our guide to how long extinguishers last covers the choice.
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Monthly checks you can do yourself
Between services, a responsible person can carry out a simple monthly visual check: the extinguisher is in place, unobstructed and visible, the pin and tamper seal are intact, the gauge reads in the green, there is no obvious damage, and the service label is current. Record the check. Our monthly checklist sets it out.
Who can service extinguishers
The standard requires a competent person: someone with the training, tools and knowledge to service to BS 5306-3. In practice that means a trained fire equipment engineer, ideally working for a company third-party certified under the BAFE SP101 scheme. Certification gives you evidence that the service was done properly, which is what you need after an incident.
The records to keep
Keep a fire log that records each service, the engineer and company, what was done and any units replaced, alongside your Fire Risk Assessment and monthly checks. The service label on each extinguisher should show the last service date. Insurers and fire service auditors ask for exactly this.
Sources & further reading
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 17 (maintenance) — the duty to keep fire-fighting equipment maintained
- Fire safety in the workplace: your responsibilities (GOV.UK) — equipment and maintenance duties
- BAFE — third-party certification of extinguisher servicing companies (SP101)
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