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There are a lot of unscrupulous and unlicensed
persons trying to do fire extinguisher service these
days. They may be wearing a shirt that looks like a
fireman, or maybe a legit service company shirt and may
give you a really cheap price. If it seems too good to
be true it probably is. I have been doing this work for
over 30 years and have seen all kinds of tactics
unscrupulous people have used. If they seem aggressive
to you, or demand payment in cash do not let them do
your service.
1) Every service technician has to be licensed by the
California State Fire Marshal before servicing any fire
extinguisher. They have to have their license on them
whenever they are servicing or recharging fire
extinguishers. If a company comes into your place of
business for fire extinguisher service ask them to show
you there Certificate of Registration. It will look
something like a driver license. It should have the
current year sticker on the back, his name, picture and
license number. If he can’t show that to you then don’t
let him/her do the service.
Click Here to view
a sample fire extinguisher license.
2) Watch out for fire extinguisher swaps. Most legit
companies may swap out a fire extinguisher to save time
or for one that has been hydrostatically tested and has
had its six year service performed. As long as it is the
same for the same on being exchanged or one that is
better, that’s OK. The problem is some companies will
give you one that is the worst for wear or maybe a
different brand, or one that is not rated as the one
they are taking. I have actually had fire extinguisher
companies remove one year old fire extinguishers and
replace them with fire extinguishers that are 10 to 15
years old. If it doesn’t look right say something to
them. Tell them you want your fire extinguishers back,
especially if they are a newer model.
3) Watch out for free service inspections. They are just
a ruse to get the date and a name for when to come back
and try to do the service.
4) Every fire extinguisher belonging to any type of
business has to be serviced once a year. It is a California State Law. To find out if your
fire extinguisher needs service simply look at the tag
that is attached to it. The date is always punched the
day the service was performed and is good until the
following year on the same date. When the fire
extinguisher is serviced it will get a new tag with the
same date as the service was done. A fire extinguisher
cannot be serviced earlier that one month before the
actual date that is punched on the tag. Unless it has
been discharged or used.
Click Here to view a
sample certification tag.
You can also fill out the complaint
form and send it to the Office Of The State Fire Marshal if you feel that you have been ripped off.
CLICK HERE
FOR COMPLAINT FORM
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