fire extinguishers

Contributed by Norm Nyhuis, Consultant/Trainer, Evergreen Safety Council

Anytime of year is a good time to think about fire safety. Commercial structures are required to have portable fire extinguishers readily available. More important, the equipment must be checked monthly to insure it is ready for action, when needed. The following photos are good examples of how “NOT to do it”

I suppose the spiders were assigned the duty to perform the monthly check of the fire extinguishers?

Fire extinguishers should have a safety pin to prevent unintentional discharge. The pins are usually held in place with a little plastic “chain”. Someone got creative here and REALLY did not want the pin to come out. A comment about “tamper resistant” versus “user resistant” seems appropriate here.

Take a moment a check your fire extinguishers: is the pressure gauge reading in the “green” area or other wise indicates the pressure is where is should be? Is there any sign of leaking powder or other extinguishent? Mark the date of your inspection on the tag attached and then give your self a pat on the back for staring a good habit of monthly inspection of your fire extinguishers.