Fire extinguisher service
A BAFE-registered engineer checks every extinguisher's condition, weight, pressure and accessibility, and tags each one with the visit date.
A BAFE-registered engineer checks every extinguisher's condition, weight, pressure and accessibility, and tags each one with the visit date. On top of this annual basic service, each extinguisher also needs a more thorough extended service — a discharge and recharge — roughly every 5 years, which your engineer should flag when it is due rather than you tracking it separately.
Extinguishers are the item most commonly picked up on a fire officer's walkthrough, and an insurer can decline a fire-damage claim if the extinguisher that should have controlled a small fire was out of date or missing.
Check they are BAFE SP101 registered before booking.
Who this is for
Any venue holding portable fire extinguishers — nearly every commercial kitchen and bar.
What you’ll hold
- Signed service visit record
- Tags on each extinguisher showing the last service date
Watch out for
- Treating the annual sticker as proof you are covered for the 5-yearly extended service — it is not the same visit.
- Relying only on the tag as the record. If it is removed or fades, you have nothing to show an inspector.
- Extinguishers moved during a refit and never put back on their bracket, so the engineer cannot find or service them all.
Sources
- BAFE — Fire extinguisher service and maintenance checked 2026-09-02
See also
- Extinguishers to BS 5306— this becomes part of getting open →
- Fire alarm service
- Fire risk assessment review
This is item 14 of 60 in the free UK Compliance Calendar. See the whole list →