Fire extinguishers maintenance

Storage areas for maintenance, janitorial, and other service organizations must be provided. Safety items such as fire extinguishers, firehose cabinets, safety hoops on permanent ladders, guard rads, shielding for acid pumps, clearance for electric panel boards, etc, are needed. Manholes and cleanouts for sewer pipes within the facility as well as in the landscape and parking areas should be provided. 

Three illustrated data sheets cover the choice siting, care and maintenance and use of portable fire extinguishers [1]. Detailed accounts of modem extinguishing... 

Portable fire extinguishers should be shown in their proposed locations on process unit or area plot plans and on building floor plans. A list of the extinguishers and their locations should be made for inspection and maintenance purposes. 

A monthly visual inspection of fire extinguishers by a competent person should be made and documented. A trained person who has undergone the instructions necessary to reliably perform maintenance and has the manufacturer s service manual should service the fire extinguishers on at least an annual frequency. 

Maintenance, servicing, and recharging should be performed by trained persons having available the appropriate servicing manuals, the proper types of tools, recharge materials, lubricants, and manufacturer s recommended replacement parts or parts specifically listed for use in the specific fire extinguisher. 

Maintenance procedures should include a thorough examination of the three basic elements of a fire extinguisher ... 

Each fire extinguisher should have a tag or label securely attached that indicates the month and year the maintenance was performed and that identifies the person performing the service. 

The local fire department arrivedjust after the explosion at 11 22 A.M. With the limited water supply on two of the fire trucks and the utilization of another fire truck to pump water directly from a nearby cooling water tower basin, the firemen were able to slow the fire spread. By 11 30 A.M., the Maintenance Department was able to transfer the set of batteries from the impaired diesel fire pump to the other diesel fire pump. On completion of this task, this diesel fire pump was started. The automatic deluge sprinkler protection was severely damaged by the fire/explosions and had to be valved into the off position. Three fixed monitors were turned onto lull flow and directed at the fire. Also, the firemen and fire brigade used two hose streams olF nearby fire hydrants for fire fighting purposes. At 11 58 A.M., the fire was under control. Final fire extinguishment was accomplished by 12 10 p.m. 

Carbon tetrachloride is used in spot removers, fire extinguishers, dry cleaning products, fumigants, solvents, and pesticides [143]. It is used to clean metal (primarily on aluminum parts) in machinery maintenance and as a raw material for certain oil additives. 

Certain equipment and operational items common to the entire organization (e.g., fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, deluge showers, eyewash stations, and fire alarm systems) and maintenance of these items should be just as much an institutional responsibility as provision of utilities. 

Long incubation periods during which risk can arise. A risk can be planted m a large-scale system and lie dormant long before an effect, benign or adverse, appears. For example, deferred maintenance on a bedside ventilator or fire extinguisher may eventually lead to equipment failure and a catastrophic outcome. 

This includes a complete examination and involves disassembly and inspection of each part and replacement where necessary. Conduct maintenance at least annually or more often if conditions warrant. Accomplish hydrostatic testing of portable fire extinguishers to protect against unexpected in-service failure. Failure can occur due to internal corrosion, external corrosion, and damage from abuse. Perform hydrostatic testing using trained personnel with proper equipment and facilities. OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.157 (Table 1) provides test intervals for extinguishers. 

Select, install, inspect, and maintain portable fire extinguishers in accordance with NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers. Please note that special requirements do exist such as nonferrous components of extinguishers located in MRI rooms and the need for class K extinguishers in kitchen areas. Inspect, test, and maintain all water-based fire protection systems in accordance with NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. Facility owners retain responsibility for compliance... 

OSHA requires that employers maintain records for the maintenance and inspection of equipment. Examples are powered platforms, cranes and derricks, fire extinguishers, forging machines, manUfts, presses, respirators, and safety valves for pressure vessels. 

Provision and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers (a) Provision... 

Part 5, Section 5.1 1982 Halon 1301 total flooding systems BS 5345 Code of Practice for the selection, installation and maintenance of electrical apparatus for use in potentially explosive atmospheres Part 1 1976 Basic requirements for all parts of the code BS 5423 1987 Specification for portable fire extinguishers BS 5499 Fire safety signs, notices and graphic symbols Part 1 1984 Specification for fire safety signs BS 5839 Fire detection and alarm systems in buildings Part 1 1980 Code of Practice for installation and servicing BS 5908 1980 Code of Practice for fire precautions in chemical plant... 

NFPA 10 also classifies extinguishers by the types of fuels and fires that they are third-party-tested and approved to extinguish. It also assigns a maximum travel distance, which is the distance an occupant would have to travel to locate an extinguisher for each class. This includes the actual path traveled among desks or other obstructions. A discussion of this can be found in the NFPA s Fire Protection Handbook chapter on fire extinguisher use and maintenance. 

Conroy, T. (2008). Fire Protection Flandbook (20th ed.). Chapter 17.5 Fire extinguisher use and maintenance. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. 

A response to emergencies will also involve the consideration and maintenance of physical systems. This could include adequate coverage and operation of a sprinkler system and fire extinguishers. It could also include the location, maintenance, and operation of automated external defibrillators. Systems and equipment need to be identified, and a process must be put in place to ensure that they remain operational. 

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