Shawn Bosworth

If an incorrect passcode is entered 5 times the screen will display delay for 5 minutes. After the five minutes you can enter the correct code and the safe should unlock normally. If you have lost or forgotten the code you may need to have a locksmith open it for you. Edit: After speaking with the manufacturer, they have informed me that they may be able to help you get the safe open if you are still having difficulties. If you could send your name and telephone number to shawn@safelincs.co.uk I can ask them to give you a call.

As previously mentioned you could reuse the powder if it had been discharged within a closed system to ensure no moisture or contamination has occured. Otherwise the answer is no, it is not OK to use again.

As previously mentioned, whether the door would be still considered a certified fire door after fitting the grille is a matter for the FRA, but the intumescent grilles http://www.safelincs.co.uk/fire-rated-intumescent-air-transfer-grilles/ are suitable for any door that requires air flow while maintaining integrity in the event of a fire. So they should be fine for the boiler room door. It is highly recommended that you confirm this with a fire risk assessor.

If there is more chance of the extinguishers being damaged/tampered with if they were located in the hall and as long as the travel distance is less than 30m from the furthest corner to the extinguisher location, then placing them on the landing outside the hall (on what I assume is the escape route) would be acceptable unless there is a specific risk in the hall that needs covering. As always, a fire extinguisher site survey is the only way to be sure.

As Anthony said, you don't need powder but engineers will often recommend them for externally accessed boiler rooms due to their knock down power and versatility. At the end of the day, the engineer will recommend what he/she feels is the most appropriate extinguisher for the risks present.

Hi, it depends on what risks are present in the boiler room, whether the boiler room is accessed from inside a building or if it is only accessible from an external entrance. Powder fire extinguishers are not recommended for indoor use but many extinguisher engineers will still recommend them for a boiler room that is accessed from an external door as it is the most versatile. You should really have an extinguisher site survey performed on the premises as no-one can give you a reliable recommendation without seeing the site.

The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 is a law (anything called an 'Act' is law) and the section stat states the the local council can impose conditions that it ‘considers reasonably necessary’ in respect of private hire vehicles makes whatever they deem reasonably necessary part of that law i believe. So as mentioned previously, you need to check with your Local Authority.

Hi TPH Section 48 (2) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 allows a Local Authority to impose conditions that it ‘considers reasonably necessary’ in respect of private hire vehicles. As Tom said the type and capacity of the vehicle fire extinguisher varies with the local licensing authority. You should contact your Local Authority for a clear picture of their requirements.

Hi DavinaTa The main reasons that powder extinguishers are no longer recommended is that they reduce visibility and can affect your breathing. Whenever I talk baout powder extinguishers i liken it to exploding 2kg of talcum powder in a room and then trying to find your way out. It gets in your eyes, mouth, nose and will never be fully cleaned up. The latest 'one-for-all' type of extinguisher is the dry water mist fire extinguisher http://www.safelincs.co.uk/e-series-water-mist-fire-extinguishers/ The UltraFire dry water mist extinguishers can be used on virtually all types of fire and if used on an actual fire they de-ionised water evaporated completely, leaving no residue whatsoever. Hope this helps. Shawn

Hi If your certificate is still valid and you have the appropriate tools, spares and information to perform the servicing, as well as insurance (in case anything goes awry), then there should be no reason that you cannot service extinguishers. It is worth checking your certificate for an expiry date as I believe you will soon be due for a refresher and re-certification (if not already). You would need some service labels for the extinguishers and service sheets to fill out and give to the customer after the job is done. And if you are doing this as a paid job you will need to be registered for TAX, etc. Hope this helps.

Hi Chloe Unlike stored pressure extinguishers (water, foam, powder, etc.) a CO2 fire extinguisher is a cylinder containing highly compressed gas and has more in common with an air tank or nitrogen cylinder than a normal extinguisher. As the tests and standards for them are higher they have a ten year life from date of manufacture instead of the usual 5 years that you would find on a stored pressure (water, etc.) unit. This means that they only require a basic annual service during those 10 years. At year 10 the lifespan can be extended by an additional 10 years but the extinguisher would require a test discharge, pressure test and refill, so it is usually more cost effected to purchase a new unit. If your CO2 extinguishers are indeed under 5 years old and there is no physical reason (damage, corrosion, loss of pressure, etc.) for them to be condemned then you have been given incorrect information. Bear in mind however that the extinguisher itself may have been over 5 years old when initially installed (without knowing the history of the unit we cannot confirm the age of the unit). The cylinder should have the date of manufacture embossed into the top of the cylinder along with weights and the Standards it conforms to. BS 5306-3:2009 is the British Standard that gives guidance on commissioning and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers. BS 5306-8:2012 is the British Standard that gives guidance on the provisioning and installation of portable fire extinguishers and equipment on premises. Hope this helps. Kind regards Shawn

As Anthony said, the British Standard is a recommendation, so a client can risk assess fire extinguishers out of a premises. As an engineer, all you can do is follow the British Standard and make recommendations based on that. If the client decides that they do not require the quantity you have recommended, that is their choice and as long as you note it on your paperwork and the client signs to say that they fully understand they are going against the Standards, you have fulfilled your duty. While I agree that 2 x A rated with a combined 26A would be massively overkill in a 5m square premises with a single exit, there is always the possibility of an extinguisher failing. It is unlikely, but possible. If a single extinguisher is used to cover a floor, no matter how small that floor, and it fails then there is a serious problem for anyone trapped on that floor. Saving a few £££ on an extinguisher isn't worth risking a life.

As Anthony said, you can cover (or remove) the old stickers as long as all relevant information is transferred to the new sticker first.

It is entirely possible that a stored pressure wet chemical unit could have a TDR (Test Discharge Recharge) performed, if the engineer had the correct facilities in the van. He would need a place to discharge the extinguisher as you can't just spray these chemicals down the drain (typically you would carry a large liquid container). He would also need the correct wet chemical concentrate in the correct quantity, access to fresh water with a measurement marked bucket and a nitrogen cylinder to pressurise the extinguisher. If all of these were available in the van it would probably take 10 to 20 minutes to perform a TDR depending on how smoothly things went.

Check that your smoke alarm is definitely the source of chirping; make sure the noise isn’t coming from another alarm (smoke/carbon monoxide/burglar/gas alarm) by process of elimination. If you confirm that it is the alarm in question that is chirping then you should contact the manufacturer on 0800 141 2561 or e-mail: technicalsupport@fireangel.co.uk Hope this helps. Shawn

Hi Ian An alternative to foam and CO2 would be the Jewel Saffire Dry Water Mist series extinguishers http://www.safelincs.co.uk/e-series-water-mist-fire-extinguishers/ These extinguishers are suitable for most types of fire, including flammable liquids and fires involving live electricity. They are also one of the safest extinguishers to use as they contain only de-ionised water. Powder extinguishers used to be the most versatile extinguishers you could get but as they are no longer recommended for indoor use, the Water Mist extinguishers have taken over from them. Kind regards Shawn

The 200 square metres that a 9L water covers is based on its A rating which is 13A. The equation to work out coverage is the floor area in square metres multiplied bt 0.065 (so 200m square equates to 13A). The 6L Water Mist also has a 13A rating, so it is also capable of covering 200 square metres. More information can be found in our handy guide here http://www.safelincs.co.uk/fire-extinguisher-buyers-guide/

Lithium fires can be very intense, so you are correct that it would be best to inform the fire brigade immediately. But if the fire is smaller and manageable there are specialist fire extinguishers designed for Class D (metal fires), more specifically an L2 fire extinguisher available here http://www.safelincs.co.uk/thomas-glover-9kg-l2-powder-extinguisher/ I hope this helps, Shawn

As Anthony said, it would be a good idea to replace the powder units with something more suitable. Oxygen doesn't burn, but an increase in the oxygen levels would mean that other items will burn easier, quicker and hotter than usual, making it more difficult to extinguish a fire in an oxygen rich environment. A water mist fire extinguishers would be ideal as it can starve the fire of oxygen while cooling the fire and is also harmless to people in the event of a clothing fire.

Also the type of extinguisher used is important. We cannot give you a definitive answer without seeing the premises but I would image that there are flammable liquids (peroxide and other chemicals) along with electrical items (hair dryers, etc.) and traditionally you would have a CO2 and water/foam combination installed. The minimum A rating for a single storey premises (if your salon is a simple single rooms for working and a back room for staff as if often the case) is 2 x A rated fire extinguishers with a combined 26A rating. The CO2 does not have an A rating so you would end up with 3 extinguisher (1 x CO2 and 2 x water/foam). A great alternative would be the water mist extinguishers as they are suitable for most classes of fire (the flammable liquids, electrical items, etc.) http://www.safelincs.co.uk/6-litre-water-mist-fire-extinguisher/ Two 6ltr water mist extinguishers would give the 26A rating and should cover the risks you have in the salon (it would still be advisable to have an extinguisher site survey to be sure as we can only advise without seeing the property).

I have had confirmation from the manufacturer (Jewel Saffire) that that water mist extinguishers are suitable for use on alcohol based fires. Hope this helps. Regards Shawn

Hi, To fight an ethanol fire you would require an AR-AFFF (Alcohol-Resistant Aqueous Film Forming Foam) fire extinguisher. Standard AFFF foam cannot tackle ethanol fires because the alcohol breaks the foam down and prevents it from creating a blanket over the liquid. The alcohol-resistant polymer in AR-AFFF stops this from happening and allows the foam to form a blanket, cooling and starving the fire of oxygen. Hope this helps, Shawn

As part of the basic service you have to remove the safety device (pin) to ensure that it moves freely and check that the handle also has free movement. To do this you must break the tamper seal. This applies to all extignuishers, stored pressure and cartridge operated.

If you are referring to an extended service (discharge, test, recharge with new extinguishant) Safelincs charges a flat rate per size/type of extinguisher, i.e. you would pay for an extended service on a 6ltr water. You would not pay on top of that for the recharge as this is part of the extended service. Some extinguisher servicing companies have very attractive initial costs, such as 'Fire extinguisher servicing from £1 per extinguisher'. On top of this they will then charge for every component and aspect of the service, such as £1 for an O-ring, £1 for a gauge dot, etc. Eventually you will end up paying a lot more than you want. It is always best to choose a servicing company that has transparent pricing with no hidden extras.

There isn't a specific length of time that extinguishers can last, it all comes down to the quality of the extinguishers you have. CO2 extinguisher cylinders must be tested and refurbished after ten years, but water/foam/powder units can (if they pass their extended service every 5 years) last indefinitely. There are cartridge operated extinguishers from Britannia Fire still in service after 20 years. This highlights the false economy of buying 'cheap and cheerful' instead of investing in high quality products. Hope this helps, Shawn