Fire Extinguisher Servicing for Colleges, Schools and Universities

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Published: November 25, 2020

Fire extinguishers different colours.

Fire Extinguisher Servicing in large premises

Bevan Drake, an ISE fire extinguisher engineer has just completed servicing over 600 extinguishers at Keble College, in Oxford.

This is the 11th Oxford College that Bevan has carried out the servicing of extinguishers for in 2020. He ensures all extinguishers are serviced to British Standards BS5306 and advises that all areas have the correct extinguisher cover in place. CO2 extinguishers for electrics, water-based extinguishers for Class A and foam/powder extinguishers for Class B fires.

How many fire extinguishers do you need in a college?

The number of fire extinguishers required in college, school or university can be decided as part of the initial fire risk assessment carried out on the building.

Case Study with Christchurch College, Oxford

 

Christchurch College, Oxford.

The fire risk assessment looks at the school or college premises' construction, its size and the type of activities undertaken. A decision would then have been made as to the number of fire extinguishers required for the identified fire safety hazards.

If the use of the rooms within the school or college have altered in any way since the fire risk assessment was undertaken, then the information in the assessment may need updating if the fire risk has altered.

Because fire extinguishers come in different classes, each class represents the type of burning material it is suitable to extinguish. Therefore, when working out how many extinguishers should be in a building - it is not purely a numerical calculation based on size.

The most common type of combustible material in schools and colleges is Class A. As a general rule in schools and colleges, there should be one Class A fire extinguisher for every 200m2, with at least two of these extinguishers per floor of the building.

ISE Fire colour table.

There will be other fire class types present in schools and colleges, and extinguishers which are suitable for these should be provided where necessary.

If you are unsure of about the type and numbers of extinguishers you require for your school or college, our experienced fire safety team at ISE would be happy to advise you as part of a servicing visit. All ISE extinguisher engineers are BAFE 3rd party approved SP101, experienced, professional and friendly, and are not commission based.