Fire extinguishers: what inspection intervals apply

Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic No. 347/2022 Coll. on the properties and the conditions of operation, marking and regular inspection of fire extinguishers has applied since 1 January 2023. It changed the intervals companies had been used to for years, and at the same time gave more weight to the manufacturer's instructions.

Periodic inspection: 24 months is the baseline

A periodic inspection of an installed portable fire extinguisher is carried out at least once every 24 months (Section 9(4) of Decree No. 347/2022 Coll.). The same interval applies to a mobile fire extinguisher (Section 9(5)).

The exception is the mobile CO2 fire extinguisher. That one is inspected at least once every 12 months.

The manufacturer may set a shorter interval

Both intervals come with the same condition. They apply provided that the accompanying documentation or the instructions for use do not set a shorter interval with regard to the influence of the environment in which the extinguisher is installed.

In practice this means that 24 months is not the automatic answer. If the extinguisher is in a dusty hall, outdoors, in the cold or in a damp environment, the manual needs checking. Several manufacturers state 12 months there. That is why most operations stay on an annual cycle, and it is the safer choice during an inspection.

Inspection before installation

An extinguisher does not have to be inspected before it is installed if less than 24 months have passed since the year of manufacture or the date of the last inspection, and less than 12 months in the case of a mobile CO2 extinguisher (Section 9(3)). If it is older, the inspection must be carried out at the latest before it is installed.

This also applies to extinguishers you bought as stock and that sat in the warehouse for a year.

Who carries out the inspection and what is left behind

The inspection is carried out by a natural person holding a special authorisation. That person issues a certificate of the inspection and its result and places an inspection label on the outer side of the pressure vessel (Section 9(6)). The label must not reduce the visibility of the data on the pressure vessel or of the descriptive marking of the extinguisher.

When taking over an inspection, watch two things: whether you have the certificate filed in your fire protection documentation, and whether the date on the label matches the certificate.

A pressure test is something else

A pressure test of the pressure vessel is not the same as a periodic inspection. It is carried out under the rules on dedicated technical equipment, that is under Decree No. 508/2009 Coll., in practice on a five-year cycle. An extinguisher that has passed a periodic inspection therefore does not automatically have its pressure test done as well.

Where the problems usually are

Three things keep coming up. The handle of a portable fire extinguisher may be no more than 1.5 m above the floor (Section 6(9)), the location must be visible and permanently accessible (Section 6(6)), and the access route to the location of a mobile fire extinguisher must be permanently clear (Section 6(7)). A location blocked by pallets is the single most common finding during a preventive fire inspection.

If you want this sorted

We carry out inspections of fire extinguishers and hydrants together with fire protection documentation and preventive fire inspections. Have a look at inspection of fire protection equipment or get in touch.