Guide for fire extinguisher service companies · checked 2 November 2026
Fire extinguisher service, run one serial number at a time
A building with 60 extinguishers has 60 different clocks: each unit's annual maintenance, its 6-year teardown and its 5- or 12-year hydrostatic test depend on its agent, its shell and when it was made or last recharged. This guide covers the NFPA 10 and OSHA intervals, what Texas, California and New York City make you print on the tag, loaners, per-unit pricing from a real city bid, and how to run thousands of units without missing a hydro date.
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Short answer
Fire extinguisher service companies use software that keeps every extinguisher as its own record (serial, agent, shell, rating, manufacture date, location) and works out its next annual maintenance, 6-year internal examination and hydrostatic test from NFPA 10's tables, then captures the tag, collar and hydro label details each state requires. Inspect Point and Uptick are built for fire inspection contractors, BuildOps covers larger commercial fire and life safety firms, and InspectNTrack is mostly used by facilities doing their own checks. Generic tools like Jobber track visits, not units. Fieldproxy is set up around your own unit register, state tags and shop.
6 / 12 years
Stored-pressure dry chemical units with a 12-year hydro must be emptied and internally examined every 6 years; non-rechargeable units are removed from service 12 years after manufacture
30 ft
Maximum travel distance from a cooking appliance to a Class K extinguisher (Class A: 75 ft under OSHA 1910.157(d)(2))
source: OSHA Evacuation Plans eTool, Portable extinguishers: placement and spacing
$7.50
Per-unit annual inspection price in San Antonio's 2025 draft bid tab; ABC hydro $65, CO2 hydro $95, 6-year maintenance $45
Not red
Texas service tags and California tags, collars and hydro labels may not be red; Texas tags are 5¼ by 2⅝ inches
How a job runs
One fire extinguisher service job, from first call to paid
The order the work really happens in, and what has to be written down at each step so nothing is argued about later.
- 1
Survey the building and build the unit list
The first visit is an inventory, not a service. Every extinguisher gets a row: location (floor, room, cabinet or bracket), manufacturer, model, serial, agent (ABC, BC, CO2, water, wet chemical, Class D, clean agent), size in pounds, UL rating such as 2-A:10-B:C, shell material, rechargeable or not, and the manufacture date stamped on the cylinder or nameplate. Note gaps against the hazard: a fryer line with no Class K unit within 30 feet, a warehouse aisle more than 75 feet from a Class A unit.
- 2
Work out what each unit owes this year
From the agent, shell and dates, decide per unit: annual maintenance only, a 6-year internal examination (stored-pressure dry chemical on a 12-year hydro), an internal exam every 5 years (CO2 and wet chemical) or every year (loaded stream and antifreeze), a hydrostatic test (5 years for water, CO2, wet chemical and stainless dry chemical; 12 years for other dry chemical), or removal (non-rechargeable units 12 years after manufacture). Recharging or a hydro restarts the 6-year clock.
- 3
Quote per unit, by line item
Commercial and public contracts price each task separately: inspection per unit, recharge by agent, hydro by agent, 6-year maintenance, parts at list plus a markup. San Antonio's 2025 tab lists 13 such lines with estimated annual quantities for each.
- 4
Plan the tag run and the loaners
Most units are serviced on site. Anything that leaves for recharge, 6-year or hydro must be replaced by an extinguisher suitable for the hazard and of at least equal rating while it is gone (NFPA 10 7.1.3), so the van carries loaners matched to what is being pulled.
- 5
Annual maintenance at each unit
Check location, access, visibility, gauge in the operable range, fullness by weight, seal, hose and nozzle, corrosion and damage, legible instructions facing out. Replace the tamper seal on every rechargeable unit serviced (NFPA 10 7.3.2.2.1). Hang a new tag with month and year, the technician and the company (7.3.3), in the format your state prints.
- 6
Shop work: recharge, 6-year, hydro
Pulled units go to the shop. A 6-year teardown discharges the agent into a closed recovery system, inspects the shell and parts against the manufacturer's manual, and gets a verification-of-service collar that cannot come off without removing the valve. Low-pressure cylinders that pass hydro get a metallic label with month, year and test pressure; CO2 cylinders are stamped with the tester's identification number and the date.
- 7
Condemn, replace or upsell
Units that fail hydro, are past 12 years as non-rechargeable, are obsolete inverting types, or match a recall (such as the 2017 Kidde plastic-handle recall) are tagged out and quoted for replacement. Missing Class K units, placards and cabinets are quoted in the same report.
- 8
Return the units and close the site
Collect the loaners, hang the serviced units back in their exact locations, and hand the owner a site report listing every serial, what was done, the result and the next due date for each of annual, 6-year and hydro.
- 9
Invoice and set the clocks
Invoice by line item and unit count. The next annual visit is 12 months out; the next 6-year and hydro dates are per unit and drive the following years' quotes and shop capacity.
What to record
The fields every fire extinguisher service job should capture
Each extinguisher (one record per serial number)
- Site, floor, room, exact location text and floor-plan pin; bracket, cabinet or wheeled
- Mounting height: carrying handle no higher than 5 ft for units up to 40 lb gross, 3½ ft for heavier; at least 4 in clearance off the floor
- Manufacturer, model, serial, manufacture date, UL rating, agent, size (lb), shell material
- Rechargeable or non-rechargeable; stored-pressure or cartridge/cylinder-operated; low-pressure or high-pressure (DOT) cylinder
- Last annual maintenance, last 6-year, last internal exam, last recharge, last hydro (with test pressure), and next due date for each
- Recall check result and obsolete-type flag
Each service on each unit
- Service type: annual, recharge, 6-year, internal exam, hydro, new install, replacement
- Gauge in operable range, weight vs full weight, seal, pin, hose, nozzle, label, damage and corrosion results
- New tamper seal fitted; collar fitted (not required on cartridge-operated or CO2 units in California)
- Hydro: test pressure in psi, pass or fail, label number; for CO2, the tester ID number stamped
- Tag details your state requires: Texas firm registration number, licensee name, licence number and handwritten signature (stamps prohibited); California E and EE numbers; FDNY tag serial and the W-96 holder's stamp
- Loaner serial left in its place, and date the unit came back
Owner and office
- Monthly inspections done by the owner's staff: date and initials per unit, or an electronic log (NFPA 10 7.2.4)
- Annual maintenance record kept one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less (OSHA 1910.157(e)(3))
- Hydro certification record: date, signature of the tester, serial of the unit, kept until the next hydro or the unit leaves service (1910.157(f)(16))
- Technician licences and certificates with expiry: Texas Type B or K, California licence, FDNY W-96, ICC/NAFED FE
Rules and standards
The rules that shape the work, with their sources
| Rule | What it means on the job |
|---|---|
| NFPA 10 monthly inspection (7.2) | When first placed in service and at least monthly, at intervals of no less than 30 days, someone confirms each unit is in its place, unobstructed and visible, the gauge is in the operable range and the unit is full by weighing or lifting. The owner's staff can do it; electronic monitoring is an allowed alternative. Record date and initials on a tag, a checklist or electronically (7.2.4). source: Minnesota Department of Health, Maintenance and Testing of Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10, 2010 ed., rev. June 2024) |
| NFPA 10 annual maintenance (7.3) | A trained technician with listed parts and the manufacturer's service manual examines mechanical parts, agent and expelling means at least yearly. New tamper seals go on every rechargeable unit serviced. A tag shows month and year, the person and the company (7.3.3). The owner, not the service company, is responsible for this getting done (7.1.1). source: Minnesota Department of Health, Maintenance and Testing of Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10, 2010 ed., rev. June 2024) |
| Six-year maintenance and internal examinations | Stored-pressure units on a 12-year hydro are emptied and internally examined every 6 years (7.3.1.2); the clock restarts at a recharge or hydro. Loaded-stream and antifreeze units are examined internally every year; CO2 and wet chemical every 5 years. The 6-year is recorded on a metallic label at least 2 by 3½ inches, hand-punched, affixed by a heatless process, old labels removed (7.3.3.1). source: Minnesota Department of Health, Maintenance and Testing of Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10, 2010 ed., rev. June 2024) |
| Verification-of-service collar (7.3.3.2) | Every unit internally examined or recharged gets a collar around the neck that cannot be removed without removing the valve, punched with month and year and the company name. Cartridge- or cylinder-operated units are exempt. Amerex's manual notes the collar can only go on with the valve off, which is the point: it proves the unit was opened. source: Amerex stored-pressure dry chemical manual, Complete maintenance: six-year teardown |
| Hydrostatic test intervals (OSHA Table L-1, NFPA 10 Table 8.3.1) | 5 years: stored-pressure water, antifreeze, wetting agent, AFFF, loaded stream, dry chemical in stainless steel, CO2 (wet chemical too under NFPA 10). 12 years: stored-pressure dry chemical in mild steel, brazed brass or aluminum, cartridge-operated dry chemical, Halon 1211 and 1301. An internal examination comes before every hydro. source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers (Table L-1, records, training) |
| Hydro labels and stamps (NFPA 10 8.7) | Low-pressure cylinders that pass get a metallic or durable label at least 2 by 3½ inches with the punched month and year, test pressure, the tester and the company. High-pressure (CO2) cylinders are stamped with the tester's identification number and the month and year. source: Minnesota Department of Health, Maintenance and Testing of Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10, 2010 ed., rev. June 2024) |
| OSHA records and training (1910.157) | Annual maintenance date recorded and kept one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less. Hydro evidence is a certification record with date, tester's signature and the unit's serial. Employers train employees on extinguisher use at hire and at least annually. source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers (Table L-1, records, training) |
| OSHA placement | Class A: every employee within 75 ft travel distance. Class B: 50 ft (30 ft for 5-B units in light hazards). Class D: within 75 ft of combustible metal hazards. Class K: 30 ft from cooking appliances (NFPA 10 6.6). Handles at 5 ft max for units up to 40 lb, 3½ ft for heavier, 4 in floor clearance. source: OSHA Evacuation Plans eTool, Portable extinguishers: placement and spacing |
| Prohibited and obsolete types | OSHA requires removal of soldered or riveted shell soda-acid, self-generating foam and gas-cartridge water units that are operated by turning them upside down. Copper or brass shells joined by soft solder or rivets are never hydrostatically tested. source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers (Table L-1, records, training) |
| Texas licences (28 TAC 34.511) | Type B: servicing, certifying and low-pressure hydro of portables. Type K: kitchen pre-engineered systems plus portables. Type A and PL: fixed systems plus portables. A licensee must work for a registered firm, the firm notifies the State Fire Marshal within 14 days when a licensee leaves, and Type A or K needs six months on an apprentice permit or Type B first. source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code § 34.511, Fire extinguisher licenses (Types PL, A, B, K) |
| Texas service tags (28 TAC 34.520) | A new service, yellow or red tag each time service is done. The tag reads DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL and carries the firm's name, address, phone and registration number, the licensee's name, licence number and signature (stamped signatures prohibited), punched month, year and type of work, the owner and the unit's type, size and location. 5¼ by 2⅝ inches, not red. source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code § 34.520, Service tags |
| California tags, collars and labels (19 CCR 596 to 596.2) | Tags, collars and hydro labels are approved by the State Fire Marshal. The annual tag (4¾ by 2⅜ in) carries the licence E number and type, the EE registration number with space for the individual's number, the Seal of Registration and a signature line. Hydro labels (3 by 2¼ in) show the DOT RIN if applicable, test psi and an S for the modified test method. None may be red, and nothing may be attached over the front. source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 19, § 596.1, Required information on tags, collars and hydro labels |
| New York City: W-96 and the standardized tag | Selling, leasing or servicing extinguishers needs an FDNY company certificate, and each technician a W-96 Certificate of Fitness ($25 new, $5 renewal, renewed yearly). Since 15 November 2019 FDNY only recognizes standardized tags, sold only to approved companies, with a QR code, a 3-inch hologram and a barcoded unique serial; the technician stamps their name and COF number on it. source: FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention, Your portable fire extinguisher tags are changing (Oct 2018) |
| California: which units get a collar | Every serviced unit gets an Annual Maintenance Tag; every unit internally examined or recharged gets a Verification of Service collar, except cartridge- or cylinder-operated and CO2 units; low-pressure units that pass hydro get a hydro label. Each tag, collar and label design is approved by the State Fire Marshal with every licence application and renewal. source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 19, § 596, Tags, collars and labels: general |
| The 2017 Kidde recall | CPSC announced the recall of about 40 million Kidde extinguishers: 134 plastic-handle and push-button Pindicator models made between 1 January 1973 and 15 August 2017, which could clog, need excessive force or lose the nozzle. Units like these still turn up on surveys, so check model and date. source: Occupational Health & Safety, CPSC announces recall of Kidde fire extinguishers (Nov 2017) |
| Technician certification: ICC/NAFED FE | The Certified Portable Fire Extinguisher Technician exam is 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, open book. Annual maintenance is 20% of it, six-year and internal maintenance 10%, hydrostatic testing 10%, including agent recovery and identifying which components need which test. source: ICC, Certified Portable Fire Extinguisher Technician (FE) exam content outline |
| UK: BS 5306-3 | Table 1 sets a yearly basic service for every type, an extended service every 5 years for water and powder (every 10 for primary-sealed powder) and an overhaul every 10 years for CO2, clean agent and Halon. The responsible person does visual checks at least monthly (clause 11.2). source: BAFE, How often should I be servicing my fire extinguishers? (BS 5306-3 Table 1) |
| Australia: AS 1851-2012 | Portable extinguishers get six-monthly inspections, plus yearly and five-yearly services that an accredited or licensed provider must carry out; results go on the metal maintenance record tag on each unit. source: Australian Maritime Safety Authority, AMSA 707: inspection of portable fire extinguishers (AS 1851-2012) |
Rules vary by state, council and contract. Checked 2 November 2026; confirm against the source for your area before relying on it.
Numbers
Intervals per unit, and what one city pays for each task
Intervals are NFPA 10 (2010 ed.) and OSHA 1910.157. Prices are the only bid in San Antonio's draft tabulation opened 2 July 2025 for the fire department's own extinguishers; they are one data point, not a market rate.
| Item | Value | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Owner's visual inspection | Monthly, at least 30 days apart | NFPA 10 7.2.1 |
| Annual maintenance | Every 12 months, new tamper seal | NFPA 10 7.3; OSHA 1910.157(e)(3) |
| 6-year internal exam | Stored-pressure dry chemical on 12-yr hydro | NFPA 10 7.3.1.2; OSHA (e)(4) |
| Internal exam, CO2 and wet chemical | Every 5 years | NFPA 10 Table 7.3.1.1.2 |
| Hydro: water, AFFF, CO2, wet chemical, stainless dry chem | Every 5 years | OSHA Table L-1; NFPA 10 8.3.1 |
| Hydro: dry chemical (mild steel, aluminum), Halon | Every 12 years | OSHA Table L-1 |
| Non-rechargeable units | Removed 12 years after manufacture | NFPA 10 7.3.1.2.1.3 |
| Annual inspection, per unit | $7.50 (CO2 and ABC) | San Antonio 2025 draft tab |
| Recharge, per unit | ABC $40; CO2 $65 | San Antonio 2025 draft tab |
| Hydrostatic test, per unit | ABC $65; CO2 $95 | San Antonio 2025 draft tab |
| 6-year maintenance, per unit | $45 | San Antonio 2025 draft tab |
| Repair parts | List price plus a bid markup (bid at 0%) | San Antonio 2025 draft tab |
source: Minnesota Department of Health, Maintenance and Testing of Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10, 2010 ed., rev. June 2024)source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers (Table L-1, records, training)source: Koorsen Fire & Security, Hydrostatic test requirements of fire extinguishers (Feb 2023)source: City of San Antonio, Draft bid tabulation: annual contract for fire extinguisher repair, testing, inspection and recharging (opened 2 July 2025)
Where it breaks
Where spreadsheets and generic software fall over
The job is the building. Sixty units sit under one recurring visit, so nobody sees that 14 of them hit their 6-year this year and 3 CO2s are due for hydro.
Each extinguisher is its own record with its own annual, 6-year, internal-exam and hydro dates worked out from its agent, shell and manufacture date, and the visit lists what each unit owes before the tech leaves.
The 6-year date is set from the manufacture date and never reset, so a unit recharged after a discharge two years ago is torn down early, or a hydroed unit is flagged late.
A recharge or hydro on the unit record restarts its 6-year clock automatically, as NFPA 10 and OSHA both say.
Units go to the shop and the building is left short. A kitchen loses its only Class K for a week.
Pulling a unit requires picking a loaner of at least equal rating and the same class from van stock, and the loaner is tracked until the original comes back.
A tech with a Texas Type B licence is sent to a restaurant to service the kitchen system, or a tech whose W-96 lapsed hangs FDNY tags.
Licences and certificates sit on each tech with expiry and scope; dispatch only offers techs whose licence covers the work and the city.
The site report says '58 extinguishers serviced'. The fire inspector asks about the one by the loading dock, and nobody can say which serial it was or when it was last hydroed.
The report lists every serial and location with what was done, the tag details, and next due dates, generated from the unit records.
Recalled Kidde plastic-handle units and non-rechargeable units older than 12 years stay on the wall because nobody checks model and date against the list.
Model and manufacture date are checked against a recall list and the 12-year rule on every visit; matches are tagged out and quoted for replacement in the same report.
Checklist
The fire extinguisher service operations checklist
Print it, or hand it to whoever runs the office side.
- Every extinguisher recorded by serial, with location, agent, size, rating, shell and manufacture date
- Next annual, 6-year, internal exam and hydro date per unit, recalculated after every recharge or hydro
- Class K within 30 ft of cooking appliances, Class A within 75 ft, Class B within 50 ft
- Mounting heights and 4 in floor clearance checked
- Tamper seal replaced on every rechargeable unit serviced
- Tag printed to your state's format: Texas, California and FDNY each specify content
- Collar fitted after every internal exam or recharge (not cartridge-operated units)
- Hydro label with test pressure on low-pressure cylinders; tester ID stamp on CO2
- Equal-or-better loaner left for every unit pulled to the shop
- Non-rechargeable units over 12 years and obsolete inverting types removed
- Recall check by model and manufacture date
- Technician licences and certificates current for the state and city
- Site report listing every serial, result and next due dates, sent to the owner
- Owner's monthly inspection log available to show the inspector
Software options
What software fire extinguisher service companies actually use
Judge each one on whether it fits the way your jobs run, not on the feature list. Bring a real job to every demo.
Inspect Point
Fire protection inspection contractors who want inspection reports first
Fire and life safety inspection and reporting software for contractors. BuildOps lists an Inspect Point integration for NFPA inspections, so it often sits beside a separate dispatch and billing system. Check its extinguisher forms against your state's tag rules.
Uptick
Fire inspection, testing and maintenance businesses with about 3 to 50 field technicians
Describes itself as the operating system for fire and security: inspection form templates, scheduling, quoting, defect quoting, asset lists, floorplans, customer portal and invoicing, priced per desk and field user, with Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB and Sage. Says 1,000+ fire protection businesses use it; its homepage does not name NFPA 10, so ask how it handles per-unit 6-year and hydro dates.
BuildOps
Larger commercial fire and life safety contractors also doing sprinkler and alarm work
Commercial contractor platform with a fire and life safety version that talks about AHJ reports and NFPA frequencies. Its page names NFPA 25 and 72, not NFPA 10 extinguisher cycles, so ask how it handles per-unit 6-year and hydro dates.
InspectNTrack
Facilities, hospitals, manufacturers and governments doing their own monthly checks
Barcode-based inspections, routes, equipment location tracking and offline mode. Built for organizations inspecting their own assets, not for quoting and invoicing as a service company.
Jobber or ServiceTitan
Companies where extinguishers are an add-on to another trade
Good at recurring visits, quotes and invoices. Neither publishes per-unit NFPA 10 interval tracking or state tag formats, so serials, 6-year and hydro dates would need building yourself.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Is each extinguisher its own record, and are its 6-year, internal exam and hydro dates calculated from agent, shell and manufacture date?
- Does a recharge or hydro reset the 6-year clock on that unit automatically?
- Can the tag and report carry my state's required fields: Texas registration and licence number with signature, California E and EE numbers, the FDNY tag serial and W-96 stamp?
- How do you track a loaner left in place of a unit taken to the shop?
- Will dispatch stop a tech whose licence does not cover the work or the city?
- Can a property manager see every unit at every site, with next due dates, without calling us?
Bring one real fire extinguisher service job. We show it running in Fieldproxy.
Get DemoHow Fieldproxy is set up for this
Fire extinguisher service on Fieldproxy: built around how you already work
A Fieldproxy setup for a fire extinguisher service company is built around the unit, not the visit: every extinguisher carries its serial, agent, shell, rating, location and its own annual, 6-year, internal exam and hydro dates, and the field app prints the tag your state requires. Techs work offline from a list of what each unit owes today, the shop tracks pulled units and loaners, and owners get a site report and portal by serial number.
Module 1
Unit register
NFPA 10 obligations attach to each cylinder, and a site can hold every agent and shell type.
- Record: Extinguisher, under Site and Customer; fields: serial, manufacturer, model, manufacture date, agent (ABC, BC, CO2, water, AFFF, wet chemical, Class D, clean agent), size lb, UL rating, shell (mild steel, aluminum, stainless, brass), rechargeable yes/no, stored-pressure or cartridge-operated, low- or high-pressure cylinder
- Location: floor, room, text and floor-plan pin; mount type (bracket, cabinet, wheeled), handle height
- QR or barcode label on the bracket opens the unit and its history
- Status: In service, Pulled to shop, Loaner in place, Condemned, Removed, Replaced (old serial kept)
Module 2
Interval rules
The office should never work out by hand which units owe a 6-year or a hydro.
- Rule table by agent and shell: internal exam (annual, 5-year, 6-year), hydro (5 or 12 years), non-rechargeable retire at 12 years
- Next due per unit for annual, 6-year, internal exam and hydro; a recharge or hydro resets the 6-year date
- Obsolete-type and recall flags from model and manufacture date (e.g. Kidde plastic-handle models made 1973 to 2017)
- Placement checks per site: Class K within 30 ft of cooking, Class A within 75 ft
Module 3
Contracts and per-unit pricing
Customers and public bids buy line items, not visits.
- Price book: inspection per unit, recharge by agent and size, hydro by agent, 6-year, collar, seal, gauge, hose, bracket, cabinet, Class K placard; parts at list plus a set markup
- Annual quote generated from the units due that year at a site
- Approval needed before condemned units are replaced
Module 4
Technician licences
A tag hung by the wrong licence is a violation in Texas, California and New York City.
- Per tech: Texas licence type (B, K, A, PL) and number, California licence, FDNY W-96 number and expiry, ICC/NAFED FE, DOT RIN for the hydro shop
- Blocks: kitchen-system work needs Type K or above in Texas; NYC sites need a current W-96; low-pressure hydro needs Type B or above
- Licence expiry list 60 days ahead
Module 5
Field app: the tag run
The tech should see what each unit owes and leave a tag that matches the record.
- Scan the unit; checklist: in place, access, visibility, gauge, weight vs full weight, seal and pin, hose and nozzle, label legible, damage, corrosion
- Required photo of the gauge and of the hung tag; new seal fitted yes/no
- State tag fields filled from the tech and firm: Texas registration and licence number, California E and EE numbers, FDNY tag serial
- Actions: Pass, Recharge on site, Pull to shop (pick loaner), Condemn (reason), New unit installed; works offline in basements and plant rooms
Module 6
Shop and loaners
Pulled units are where buildings go short and paperwork gets lost.
- Shop job per pulled unit: recharge, 6-year teardown, internal exam, hydro; agent recovered, parts used, collar fitted
- Hydro result: test pressure psi, pass or fail, label number; for CO2 the tester ID stamp
- Loaner register: loaner serial, rating, which site and unit it covers, days out; return trip booked when the unit is ready
- Shop capacity view: units due for 6-year and hydro next quarter
Module 7
Deficiencies and replacements
Every service finds sales: condemned units, missing Class K, wrong mounting.
- Deficiency record per unit or location: failed hydro, over 12 years non-rechargeable, recalled, obsolete, missing, blocked, wrong class for the hazard
- Quote built from deficiencies with photos; status Found, Quoted, Approved, Installed
- Red or yellow tag reasons kept with the unit
Module 8
Site reports and owner portal
The owner is responsible under NFPA 10 and the inspector asks them, not you.
- Site report PDF from your template: every serial, location, service, result, tag details, next annual, 6-year and hydro dates
- Portal per customer or property manager: all sites and units, open deficiencies to approve, past reports
- Owner's monthly inspection by QR: staff scan, tick, initial; log kept per NFPA 10 7.2.4
Module 9
Invoicing and management
Margin is in unit counts and shop throughput.
- Invoice by line item and unit count; QuickBooks or Xero sync
- Dashboards: units due next 90 days by type of work, loaners out over 7 days, condemned awaiting approval, revenue per site and per tech
The AI agents, set up for fire extinguisher service companies
| Agent | When | What it does | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vision agent | A tech photographs a nameplate, manufacture date stamp or hydro label during the first survey | Reads manufacturer, model, serial, agent, rating, size, manufacture date and last hydro date | The Extinguisher record filled in, with its next 6-year and hydro dates calculated |
| Document intelligence agent | A new customer sends the previous vendor's inventory spreadsheet or PDF site report | Reads each row's location, type, size, serial and last service dates and matches them to the site | A draft unit register for the survey visit to confirm |
| Watcher agent | A unit is marked Pass while its hydro or 6-year is overdue, a non-rechargeable unit passes 12 years, a model matches the recall list, or a loaner has been out more than 14 days (e.g.) | Checks the unit's dates, model and status against the interval rules | A block on the phone with the reason, or an alert to the office |
| Dispatch agent | A site visit is booked | Matches the work to techs whose licence covers it (Type K for kitchens in Texas, W-96 for NYC), the van's loaner stock and drive time | An assigned tech and a loaner pick list |
| Autopilot | A replacement quote for condemned or missing units sits unapproved for 7 days | Drafts a follow-up to the owner listing each unit, its location and why it failed | A draft email a person approves before it sends |
| Scheduler agent | First Monday of each month at 7 am | Counts units due for annual, 6-year and hydro in the next 90 days by site, shop backlog, loaners out and licences expiring | A monthly capacity and renewals briefing to the operations manager |
Straight answers
Fire extinguisher service: FAQ
What software do fire extinguisher service companies use?
Fire protection contractors often use Inspect Point or Uptick, and larger commercial fire and life safety firms use BuildOps. Facilities doing their own checks use tools like InspectNTrack. Generic field service tools such as Jobber handle visits and invoices but not per-unit NFPA 10 dates. Fieldproxy is set up around your own unit register, state tags and shop.
How often do fire extinguishers need service?
Under NFPA 10, a visual inspection at least monthly (owner's staff can do it) and annual maintenance by a trained technician. Stored-pressure dry chemical units get a 6-year internal examination; CO2 and wet chemical units an internal exam every 5 years. Hydrostatic tests are every 5 or 12 years depending on agent and shell.
What is the 6-year maintenance on a fire extinguisher?
Stored-pressure units that need a 12-year hydro, mainly dry chemical, are emptied every 6 years, examined inside against the manufacturer's manual, recharged and fitted with a verification-of-service collar and a 6-year label. The clock restarts when the unit is recharged or hydrotested. Non-rechargeable units are removed 12 years after manufacture instead.
Which extinguishers need a hydrostatic test every 5 years?
Stored-pressure water, antifreeze, wetting agent, AFFF and loaded stream units, dry chemical in stainless steel shells, and CO2 (OSHA Table L-1). NFPA 10 adds wet chemical. Dry chemical in mild steel or aluminum and Halon are every 12 years.
What must a Texas extinguisher service tag show?
Under 28 TAC 34.520: DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL, the firm's name, address, phone and registration number, the licensee's name, licence number and signature (no stamps), punched month, year and type of work, the owner, and the unit's type, size and location. It is 5¼ by 2⅝ inches and may not be red.
Who can service fire extinguishers in New York City?
Only an FDNY-approved company, using technicians who hold a W-96 Certificate of Fitness, renewed every year. Since 15 November 2019 FDNY only recognizes standardized tags with a QR code, hologram and unique serial, which only approved companies can buy.
Do I have to leave a replacement when I take an extinguisher to the shop?
Yes. NFPA 10 7.1.3 expects a removed unit to be replaced by one suitable for the hazard and of at least equal rating while it is away.
How far apart do extinguishers need to be?
Under OSHA 1910.157: Class A within 75 ft travel distance of every employee, Class B within 50 ft (30 ft for smaller units in light hazards), Class D within 75 ft of combustible metal hazards. NFPA 10 puts Class K within 30 ft of cooking appliances.
Do fire extinguisher reports go to The Compliance Engine?
The Compliance Engine's homepage lists fire alarms, suppression systems, sprinklers, standpipes, fire pumps and special hazards, not portable extinguishers. Extinguisher proof usually lives on the tag and in the owner's records, so check what your fire department wants.
What certification do extinguisher technicians take?
Several states point to the ICC/NAFED Certified Portable Fire Extinguisher Technician (FE) exam: 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours, open book, with annual maintenance 20%, six-year and internal maintenance 10% and hydrostatic testing 10% of the content. State licences such as Texas Type B, California's State Fire Marshal licence and FDNY's W-96 sit on top.
Related guides
All sources on this page (26)
- source: Minnesota Department of Health, Maintenance and Testing of Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10, 2010 ed., rev. June 2024)
- source: OSHA Evacuation Plans eTool, Portable extinguishers: placement and spacing
- source: City of San Antonio, Draft bid tabulation: annual contract for fire extinguisher repair, testing, inspection and recharging (opened 2 July 2025)
- source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code § 34.520, Service tags
- source: Amerex stored-pressure dry chemical manual, Complete maintenance: six-year teardown
- source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers (Table L-1, records, training)
- source: 28 Tex. Admin. Code § 34.511, Fire extinguisher licenses (Types PL, A, B, K)
- source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 19, § 596.1, Required information on tags, collars and hydro labels
- source: FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention, Your portable fire extinguisher tags are changing (Oct 2018)
- source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 19, § 596, Tags, collars and labels: general
- source: Occupational Health & Safety, CPSC announces recall of Kidde fire extinguishers (Nov 2017)
- source: ICC, Certified Portable Fire Extinguisher Technician (FE) exam content outline
- source: BAFE, How often should I be servicing my fire extinguishers? (BS 5306-3 Table 1)
- source: Australian Maritime Safety Authority, AMSA 707: inspection of portable fire extinguishers (AS 1851-2012)
- source: Koorsen Fire & Security, Hydrostatic test requirements of fire extinguishers (Feb 2023)
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