If your Canberra business has a fire extinguisher on the wall, somebody is on the hook for keeping it working, and in the ACT that is not just best practice, it is written into law. Here is what fire extinguisher testing actually involves, how often it needs doing, and what happens if it slips.
1. It is written into the Emergencies Act 2004
The ACT Emergencies Act 2004 puts the job on the occupier and the building manager, not the government. If you run the business or manage the building, keeping the fire appliances working is on your list. The ACT Emergency Services Agency also treats it as an offence to remove, destroy or damage a fire appliance, or to ignore a direction to provide one under section 92.
2. AS 1851 is where the actual detail lives
The Act tells you that you have to maintain your equipment. It does not tell you how often, or what a technician actually checks. That detail sits in a separate document, AS 1851:2012, Routine Service of Fire Protection Systems and Equipment, and it is what every fire extinguisher testing schedule in Australia is built around.
3. Every six months, someone checks the basics
Pressure gauge, hose, nozzle, tamper seal, safety pin, weight. A technician runs through each one, then signs and dates a tag. That is the routine service AS 1851 asks for every six months.
4. Once a year, the check goes a bit further
Annually, the technician also confirms the extinguisher is still where it is supposed to be, the signage is visible, and the bracket is not about to give way. Small details, but they matter on the day someone is looking for it in a hurry.
5. Every five years, it is a pressure test
Most extinguishers reach a point, around the five year mark, where they need a hydrostatic pressure test: essentially confirming the cylinder has not corroded and can still hold pressure safely. Depending on the result, the unit gets refilled or replaced.
6. A glance at the gauge is not a service
AS 1851 requires the actual work to be done by a trained technician, and a signed, dated tag is usually what a WHS audit or an ACT Emergency Services Agency inspection will look for. If the tag on your extinguisher is already out of date, or nobody can remember when it was last serviced, it is worth getting it checked rather than assuming the gauge tells the whole story. Insurers have also been known to look closely at expired tags and missing service records after a fire, and that is a bad time to find out the paperwork was not in order.
7. You do not need three different appointments for this
The Local Guys test and tag your fire extinguishers in the same visit as your other electrical and fire safety checks, so you are not juggling separate bookings for separate obligations. You also get a digital compliance report and a reminder before the next one is due, so it does not sneak up on you.
Book Your Canberra Fire Extinguisher Testing
Not sure when your extinguishers were last tested, or worried the tag has already lapsed? Call 13 11 05 or request a quote online, we are usually back to you within two business hours. See our full range of test and tag services in Canberra for everything else we cover on site.
