Fire extinguishers are the first line of defence against a fire. It can put out a fire before spreading and creating risk the lives and damaging property. For this reason condition of fire extinguishers are crucial.

Fire extinguishers required to be inspected annually, in some cases it can be monthly or even weekly. In some municipalities, in Metro Vancouver area, require monthly inspection of fire extinguishers for residential apartment buildings. As per NFPA 10, the annual inspection must be done by a certified fire protection company. Because anything can happen within a year, it is a good idea to inspect your fire extinguishers at least once a month.

Before dealing with fire extinguishers, it a good idea to learn fire classes and types of fire extinguisher. Please click here for more information regarding fire classes and fire extinguisher types. The following action should be applied when doing your routine inspection and maintenance.

• Always start checking your fire extinguisher gauge. Gauge needle should be indicating appropriate pressure, which is the green coloured area on the gauge. Red area means your fire extinguisher is either overcharged or has less pressure than what it supposed to be. If the needle is not on the green, you should take your fire extinguisher to a fire safety company to get it appropriately recharged.
• Physical damage is another crucial part of fire extinguisher inspection. You fire extinguisher must be free from any physical impairments such as corrosion, dents, clogged nozzle, and any foreign material.
• Accessibility to your fire extinguisher is as important as the integrity of it. Make sure it is visible and hanged properly so anyone can pick it up without any physical difficulties.
  *Check if the tamper seal and pin are intact. A missing pin could result in an unwanted discharge of your fire extinguisher.
• Shake your fire extinguisher to prevent powder from setting. If the powder is not loose, it will affect the performance of fire extinguisher.

Disposal of a Fire Extinguisher in Vancouver

Many of us do not know how hard it is to dispose of a fire extinguisher unless we need to do one in Vancouver. Why do municipals not offer safe disposal of fire extinguishers? Unfortunately, it is the owner’s responsibility to recycle a fire extinguisher properly.

The city of Vancouver states that the fire extinguishers can be disposed at a local fire safety company for a small fee. Not every fire safety company in Vancouver has a recycling program for fire extinguishers. Recycling them is challenging work. Steel recycling places in Vancouver only accepts the cylinder itself. They require them to be discharged and cleaned from the chemical powder.

Otis Fire Protection provides a recycling service for it is existing customers for a small fee. We will pick up your fire extinguisher, remove it from chemicals, clean it and safely dispose of it.

Otis Fire Protection provides fire extinguisher inspection, refill, and servicing in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Delta, Richmond, Langley, New Westminster, Maple Ridge, Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack. We can also inspect, maintain and repair all other fire and life safety systems such as; fire alarm systems, emergency lighting systems, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, fire pumps, restaurant suppression systems, special suppression systems, fire hoses and fire hydrant. Please contact Otis Fire online, email [email protected] or call us at 604-394-2022 for more information.