How much does a fire extinguisher service cost?
Fire extinguishers should be serviced once per year. Certain extinguishers will have different types of service – for example, a water extinguisher can be emptied, inspected and refilled every 5 years as part of their extended service. This was previously true for foam extinguishers too, however, due to changes in environmental law, this can no longer easily be done by an extinguisher servicing engineer with a work van, because of the risk that the foam can get into the waterways. CO2 extinguishers should be replaced every 10 years, and again due to specialist equipment required to refill them, this requires a replacement extinguisher instead of a refill.
But how much does a fire extinguisher service cost?
There are no rules or set prices on the charges that can be made for fire extinguisher servicing, and the costs associated with a service will vary from company to company. It’s best to get a variety of quotes or go with a company that has come recommended and that has good reputation. Reputation is important in choosing a servicing company, as less reputable companies may come cheaper but cost more in administration from missed appointments, provide poor service or ‘oversell’ without explicitly breaking down what’s a suggestion based on best practice or agreed standards, and what’s an actual legal requirement.
What needs to be done?
The cost of a fire extinguisher service will vary greatly on what needs to be done, and what parts may be required to be changed. Water extinguishers can corrode and rust, plastic parts can become damaged by UV light, and wear and tear can mean that the extinguisher is not in suitable condition. There are lots of different parts to extinguishers and if you need a replacement O ring, a new hose or nozzle, or a new wall mounting bracket, each part will potentially add cost to the service, just like how any parts used to repair a car would increase the service cost.
The exception to this rule is that if you’re under contract for servicing, the contract may include parts for the service.
Ask the servicing company for a breakdown of estimated costs
Estimated is the key word here. When it comes to servicing any equipment, you don’t know what you’re going to be needing until you conduct the service. If you’ve got an ‘empty and re-fill’ arranged for a 5-year-old extinguisher and when the engineer opens it up it’s fully corroded, this will likely cost a lot more to replace than the original quote of an empty and refill.
With an estimated cost of replacements and servicing, and a count of how many, you can create a document to estimate the ‘worst case scenario’ and ‘best case scenario’ i.e. how much would it cost to replace ALL extinguishers? How much would it cost to replace no extinguishers because they can all be serviced?
With this information, you can begin to have a ballpark figure of how much your fire extinguisher servicing is going to cost.
If you’d like to build your health and safety knowledge further, our NEBOSH General Certificate course is a great place to start. It’s designed for anyone looking to develop practical skills and gain a respected qualification in workplace safety. To find out more, get in touch with the ACT team today.
