Hi was hoping someone could point us in the right direction.
At present we concentrate on Fire Alarm installation,repair and servicing but are getting asked alot to do fire extinguishers.
Where do we start - as to servicing etc.. do we need training courses etc.. and what and where are they held.
Relevant standards required?
Just a basic idea of where to start would be a great help?
Only just found this forum, so sorry for a late reply.
Personnel servicing fire extinguishers should, according to BS5306 part 3:2009 be 'Competent'.
In order to demonstrate competence an approved training course is recommended, but not actually a requirement.
There are a number of courses available, although it may be worth joining one of the fire associations for a discount. The UK FA, formed in 2009, have courses run through this company.
http://www.firecontingency.co.uk/trainin...s_more.php
Alternativley you could easily subcontract the work to a local supplier, have the invoices go though yourselves so you manage the relationship. Once you have a decent client base perhaps you can take on an extinguisher specialist. This way you make some money from the servicing, but don't get bogged down with all the expense and hassle of training and finding enough customers to cover the initial outlay.
[quote=Nemesis201077]
Only just found this forum, so sorry for a late reply.
Personnel servicing fire extinguishers should, according to BS5306 part 3:2009 be 'Competent'.
In order to demonstrate competence an approved training course is recommended, but not actually a requirement.
I did not kno that, the company i work for have taken over a very large contract 60-80 sites. I as a sole fire alarm engineer was instructed to carry out servicing all the extinguishers, when i first joined i did say i would like to to get trained to do this but was told that i do not need to do this for servicing and repairs.
Also another engineer who the same as me (not trained) carried out demo to staff of which the company knew i would not do as i, like him does not know what or how to use them.
Also been told they do not need to be tested or weighed just visual inspections and thats it! Whats your opion on it guys.
Alas halon there are too many companies like that within the fire industry. To me they demonstrate an astonishing arrogance coupled with wilful negligence. We see it in alarms installed by sparkies, emergency lighting, fire risk assessments carried out by idiots using tick box checklists and if it doesnt say " is there an open tin of petrol in the staircase" they dont notice it.... and fire extinguishers.
All we can do is prove we are better than them by taking on third party certification and joining responsible trade bodies to give the customers a choice of quality services. And wish that Fire Authorities would get their act together a bit more in holding the rogues to account. At least we can sleep in our beds even if we cant afford a new mattress.
So its not an offence to do this, i thought it would be as it might endanger somebodys life if they tried to use an extinguisher of which was not properly trained, as you can tell had enuff of this company but not many jobs out there near bristol :(
Its not an offence in itself.If as a result of poor maintenance or incompetent training there arose a risk to life safety- such as a fire occurred and the person used the wrong extinguisher on the wrong fire, or the extinguisher failed to operate correctly and placed someone in danger - thats when the offence would occur. Actual events rather than potential events unfortunately. Then all parties would be in the dock together.
Re-reading my last post I realise I have not been very accurate or clear so here an is an edited version of the legal definition of when an offence is committed.
Offences
32. —(1) It is an offence for... any .....person......to—
(a) fail to comply with any requirement ......... where that failure places one or more relevant persons at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire;
(b) fail to comply with any requirement or prohibition ....... where that failure places one or more relevant persons at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire;.......
(d) fail to comply with any requirement imposed by an enforcement notice;
(2) It is an offence for any person to—
(a) fail to comply with article 23 (general duties of employees at work) where that failure places one or more relevant persons at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire;
(b) make in any register, book, notice or other document required to be kept, served or given by or under, this Order, an entry which he knows to be false in a material particular;
So to service a fire extinguisher or install a fire alarm without the necessary competence is not an offence in itself. It is only an offence if it places someone at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire or if you knowingly make a false record in a log book or on a certificate.
Thats why I said that in general offences only come to light and action is taken after a fire has occurred, though clearly they could also do so if an inspection is made by the fire authority.
It could also fall under Consumer Protection/Trading Standards legislation to provide substandard service - it is clearly ripping someone off to offer to service fire extinguishers and simply visually check them (that does not constitute a service check). I always initiate proceedings under this legislation as oppose to fire legislation
Also there would be an 'instant win' scenario for the customer if they wanted to claim under civil law - it's a clear case of negligence.
A visual inspection would not be suitable and sufficient in any court of law.
It's a good job I don't know who the firm is as I would certainly investigate further with a view to trying to get some action taken - it's a terrible case of 'rag & tag' and needs to be stamped out.