What Qualifications Are Required for Fire Extinguisher Services?
10th Nov 2022
Whether it’s providing fire extinguisher maintenance, assessing a company for fire risks, or training staff, the fire protection industry is vital for keeping people safe.
Such an important sector needs to be regulated, given not anyone can provide fire safety services!
Fire safety companies and their staff need to be trained to a high standard to perform their duties. There are several third-party certifications and trade associations that can prove the competency of fire safety companies and their employees.
Fire protection companies are independently certified against the schemes run by BAFE.
What is BAFE?
BAFE stands for British Approvals for Fire Equipment. They are the independent registration body for Third Party Certificated fire safety organisations across the UK, developing quality and competency schemes for the fire protection industry at large.
BAFE develops schemes based on defined quality standards and industry best practice for fire safety organisations to achieve third-party certification, providing evidence of their competency to offer specific fire safety works.
Fire protection organisations need to hold valid certification to become BAFE registered and appear on the national BAFE Fire Safety Register.
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What Training Do Fire Extinguisher Technicians Need?
BAFE sets out guidelines for fire extinguisher technicians in their SP101 Competency of Portable Fire Extinguisher Organisations and Technicians Scheme Document,. It states the following:
“Companies must ensure that their employed fire extinguisher technicians are appropriately trained and possess the skills to complete this work. This comprises of two parts:
a) Written/practical BAFE recognised [BS 5306] examination including 3 yearly refresher training
b) On-the-job assessment.”
In order for a fire extinguisher technician to be certified by BAFE they need to undergo an on-site assessment by an independent field assessor who is appointed by BAFE themselves. The BAFE documentation further states:
“The technician shall be required to demonstrate full competence to BS5306 Parts 3, 8 & 9. In the event of technician being unable to physically demonstrate to the BAFE Approved Assessor on the day any key requirement of the relevant Standards additional methods of demonstration of competence, including questioning, shall be applied.”
What is BS 5306?
BS 5306 is the British Standard for Fire extinguishing installations and equipment on premises. The BAFE SP101 Scheme for fire extinguisher technicians is made up of three parts:
- BS 5306-3 covering the code of practice for Commissioning and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers.
- BS 5306-8 covering the code of practice for Selection and positioning of portable fire extinguishers.
- BS 5306-9 covering the code of practice for Recharging of portable fire extinguishers.
As outlined in their own documentation, a fire extinguisher technician needs to complete a recognised BS 5306 exam in addition to refresher training every three years. This is essential to prove their competency and help fulfil their fire safety obligations.
How Does a Business Become Certified?
In addition to ensuring all fire extinguisher technicians are BAFE SP101 Certified fire safety businesses must acquire an ISO9001 certificate from a UKAS certification body such as SOCOTEC.
This accreditation is provided to fire safety businesses for implementing and continuously working within the guidelines of the Quality Management System of the certification body. An ISO9001 certificate is a fire industry recognised benchmark that showcases the business’s level of service, competency, and customer service.
Red Box Fire Control is an ISO9001:2015 Quality Assured Company and all our engineers are BAFE SP101 Certified.
Visit our website to find out more about how we can help you with your fire extinguisher maintenance or contact us today.
