Here is a question for you. If you discovered that the fire extinguisher on your wall might not actually work when you need it, how would that make you feel?
Probably not great.
Especially when you consider that portable fire extinguishers successfully put out 93% of fires before the brigade even arrives.
According to a survey carried out by the major UK fire trade associations in 2021, fire extinguishers save the UK economy over £840 million every year.
They prevent an estimated 1,629 injuries and 24 deaths annually.
And 73% of fires dealt with by an extinguisher never need fire service involvement at all.
In other words, that red cylinder on your wall is not just a regulatory box to tick. It is the single most important first line of defence your business has.
So when a quick search online shows you can buy a 6 litre foam extinguisher for £20, it is tempting. Very tempting. But there is a lot the product listing does not tell you.
The Independent Fire Engineering and Distributors Association (IFEDA) has produced guidance specifically on this topic, and what it reveals should give any responsible business owner serious pause for thought.
What the Online Listing Does Not Show You
Let us walk through what actually happens when you buy a fire extinguisher online and try to do it properly.
You find your extinguisher for £20. You add it to your basket. Then you notice that installation and commissioning is listed as optional, at an extra £9.70 per extinguisher plus a one-off call-out charge of £28. And then there is delivery at £14.
So your £20 extinguisher is now £86.04 including VAT. And that is before you have started asking the questions that really matter.
Does the online supplier have efficacy insurance?
That is the insurance that covers you if the product fails to perform in a fire. Most online sellers do not offer it, and the cost of that gap in cover is essentially unknown until something goes wrong.
Does the supplier have adequate liability insurance?
If it all goes wrong, who do you actually claim against?
An anonymous third-party seller on a marketplace that may be based overseas?
Who is doing the installation?
In more than 90% of cases it will be a subcontractor.
Have you seen their insurance?
Are they ISO registered?
Are they BAFE approved?
Can you verify their competence at all?
And finally: who is going to take away your old extinguishers? Because here is something that surprises a lot of people.
Your Old Extinguishers Are Hazardous Waste
Fire extinguishers are classified as hazardous waste under UK law.
They are pressurised containers that may contain powder, foam, CO2 or chemical agents that can cause serious harm to the environment if improperly disposed of.
You cannot put them in a skip. You cannot let just anyone take them away.
If the company removing your old extinguishers is not a registered waste carrier, you are in breach of the law. And not just them. You.
As IFEDA’s guidance makes clear, both parties can face prosecution under the Environmental Protection Regulations 1991 or the Groundwater Regulations 1998.
A registered waste carrier is legally required to give you a waste transfer note when they collect. If they do not offer you one, or simply claim to be registered without producing evidence, walk away.
According to some guidance in this area, getting disposal wrong can expose you to fines of around £1,000 per extinguisher. If you have ten extinguishers on your premises, that is a potential £10,000 liability sitting in the corner of your corridor.
The Commissioning Problem Nobody Warns You About
Here is the thing that catches most online buyers off guard.
Under BS 5306-3, the British Standard governing fire extinguisher commissioning and maintenance, your extinguisher must be commissioned on-site by a competent person after installation.
Not before. Not at the warehouse. On-site.
Why? Because transit can damage an extinguisher in ways that are not visible to the naked eye.
Pressure can be lost. Components can be dislodged. Seals can be compromised.
A commissioning service checks all of this on your premises, taking into account the specific risks in your building and confirming that you have the right type of extinguisher in the right location.
Many online suppliers attach a maintenance label in their warehouse and send the extinguisher out with it already filled in. This is not commissioning.
The UK Fire Association is direct about this: it does not constitute a proper commissioning service and it does not take into account local factors.
Some suppliers go further and include a blank tick-box label for you to fill in yourself.
But BS 5306-3 is clear that commissioning must be completed by a competent person.
If you fill in that label yourself, you are taking personal responsibility for the extinguisher being safe and fit for purpose. That is a significant legal and moral weight to take on.
BAFE requires fire extinguisher technicians to hold a recognised examination certificate and, if it is more than three years old, a refresher certificate from an accredited training body.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order Makes This Your Problem
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for your premises must ensure that fire-fighting equipment is maintained in an efficient state and in efficient working order.
That legal duty sits with you, not the online seller and not the anonymous subcontractor who commissioned the unit.
If the fire service visits your premises and finds your extinguishers have not been properly commissioned or serviced, they can issue an enforcement notice requiring immediate action.
In serious cases they can fine you or temporarily close your premises. And those consequences are quite separate from what your insurer might do.
What Your Insurer Will Do
Most commercial property insurance policies require documented proof of up-to-date fire extinguisher maintenance as part of their terms. If a fire occurs and your insurer finds that your extinguishers were not properly commissioned, not annually serviced by a competent person, or not the correct type for the risks in your building, they may refuse to pay out.
Not reduce the payout. Refuse it entirely.
Businesses have lost tens of thousands of pounds because of missing service logs. That is not a theoretical risk. It is a documented pattern that fire safety professionals see regularly. A fire insurance claim that is refused because of an extinguisher compliance failure could be the end of the business. As IFEDA’s guidance puts it: the majority of businesses that suffer a major fire never recover. Add a refused insurance claim on top and the picture is even bleaker.
The Right Extinguisher for the Right Risk
There is another problem with buying online that deserves its own section: getting the wrong type of extinguisher for your premises.
Only 38% of UK consumers say they know which type of extinguisher to use for each class of fire.
The UK Fire Association reports members regularly finding buildings where customers have installed the wrong types, in wrong locations, assembled incorrectly, or without the right coverage for the floor area.
One documented case involved a factory owner who hung extinguishers at the wrong height without fitting the hoses and horns.
Another involved a large taxi company that had installed 1kg dry powder extinguishers throughout a multi-storey office, believing they covered all risks. They did not.
The powder would not only have failed to cover their main fire risk but would have obscured visibility in a busy office, hampering evacuation.
Under BS 5306-8, selection and positioning must be carried out by a competent person who understands the fire risks specific to your premises.
The standard also requires at least two Class A rated extinguishers on each floor of most buildings and specifies minimum ratings relative to floor area.
This is not something you can reliably work out from a product listing.
There is also a newer dimension to consider.
The updated BS 5306-8:2023 includes specific guidance on fires involving lithium-ion batteries in small mobile devices, a risk that barely featured in previous versions of the standard. If your premises involve charging of e-bikes, e-scooters, power tools or other devices, this needs to be reflected in your extinguisher provision.
Annual Servicing Is Not Optional Either
Even if you get everything right at the point of purchase and commissioning, your responsibilities do not end there. Under BS 5306-3, every extinguisher must receive a basic annual service from a qualified technician. Water, foam and powder extinguishers require discharge testing every five years. CO2 extinguishers require hydraulic testing at ten years.
Who is going to carry out those annual services on extinguishers you bought online? The supplier you bought them from may offer a servicing package, but check their credentials carefully. Are they BAFE SP101 registered? Can they provide a service certificate? Will they maintain records you can show to an insurer or fire service inspector?
If the answer to any of those questions is uncertain, you already have a problem.
A Useful YouTube Resource
If you want to understand how fire extinguishers are properly selected, commissioned and maintained, the training company ProTrainings has produced a clear and accessible video covering the key facts about extinguishers, including types, usage and effectiveness. It is available free on YouTube and is a good starting point for anyone responsible for fire safety in a workplace:
Fire Safety Principles: Facts About Extinguishers — ProTrainings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMqP6hREuiQ
For a practical overview of BS 5306 commissioning requirements and what a proper commissioning visit involves, Velocity Safety’s explainer is also worth a look: https://velocitysafety.co.uk/blog/fire-extinguisher-commissioning-guide/
What Does a Compliant Supplier Actually Provide?
When you use a BAFE registered fire extinguisher company, you are not just buying a product. You are buying the expertise to select the right type and quantity for your specific risks, on-site commissioning by a qualified technician with documented certification, annual servicing with records you can show to a fire inspector or insurer, the correct removal and disposal of old extinguishers by a licensed waste carrier with a proper waste transfer note, and a company that carries efficacy insurance covering product failure.
That is a completely different proposition to a £20 extinguisher with optional commissioning at the checkout.
Yes, it costs more. But fire safety is one of those areas where the full cost of the cheap option only becomes apparent when something goes wrong. By then, it is too late to make a different choice.
Our Recommendation for Businesses in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South West London
If you are responsible for fire safety at a commercial premises, the practical steps are straightforward.
Use a BAFE SP101 registered organisation for the supply, commissioning and servicing of your extinguishers. You can find one using the BAFE Fire Safety Register at bafe.org.uk. Ask for evidence of their qualifications, their insurance, and their waste carrier registration before they set foot on your premises. Keep records of every service visit, every commissioning certificate, and every waste transfer note. Make sure your extinguishers are the right type for your specific risks, correctly positioned, and serviced on time every year.
And if you are not certain that your current arrangements meet these standards, start with a fire risk assessment. A thorough fire risk assessment will identify whether your extinguisher provision is adequate for the risks in your building and give you a clear action plan to get it right.
At ESI: Fire Safety, we carry out fire risk assessments for commercial premises across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South West London. We can help you understand what your legal obligations are and what needs to change to make sure your fire safety arrangements actually protect your business, your staff and your insurance. Get in touch with our team to find out more.
Sources
IFEDA (Independent Fire Engineering and Distributors Association), “Buying from the Internet” guidance leaflet: www.ifeda.org
BAFE, fire extinguisher guidance and SP101 scheme: https://www.bafe.org.uk/bafe-fire-safety-guidance/fire-extinguisher-guidance
Fire Industry Association, 93% of fires extinguished by portable fire extinguishers survey (2021): https://www.fia.uk.com/news/93-of-fires-extinguished-by-portable-fire-extinguishers-2022.html
Fire Industry Association, BS 5306-8:2023 update: https://www.fia.uk.com/news/blogs/new-fire-safety-standards-fia-announces-bs-5306-8-2023-updates.html
UK Fire Association, how to buy extinguishers without getting burned: https://www.uk-fa.org/consumers/consumer-articles/how-to-buy-extinguishers-without-getting-your-fingers-burnt
Velocity Safety, fire extinguisher commissioning guide: https://velocitysafety.co.uk/blog/fire-extinguisher-commissioning-guide/
PTS Compliance, fire extinguisher servicing guide: https://www.ptscompliance.co.uk/fire-extinguisher-servicing-all-you-need-to-know/
Fireproof Consultancy, how to spot non-compliant fire safety products online: https://fireproof.co.uk/how-to-spot-non-compliant-fire-safety-products-online/
Fire Response UK, fire extinguisher disposal compliance guide: https://fireresponse.uk/how-to-dispose-of-fire-extinguisher/
FIA, how your fire protection equipment affects insurance: https://www.fia.uk.com/news/blogs/how-your-fire-protection-equipment-affects-insurance.html
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents
