Compliance

As in most localities, police cars in Midland, Texas are equipped with Fire Extinguishers in case the officers come across a traffic fire emergency.  Unfortunately, it took a tragedy to realize that many of those extinguishers went years without an inspection and may have been non-functional for extended periods of time.  This discovery had prompted new legislation in Texas to ensure the exinguishers are inspected and maintained properly.

According to CBS7.com, whose investigation into the tragedy and the lack of fire extinguisher inspection inspired the proposed legislation:

...[following] a fiery car crash in 2009 that killed an 18-year-old Midland girl, her father discovered that some of those extinguishers went years without inspection.

"It causes great concern for me. They had non-working fire extinguishers and one was expired for at least three to four years", said her father, Richard Corley.

A CBS 7 investigation revealed that the two extinguishers that didn't work the night of the crash weren't the only extinguishers out of date.

That became apparent when talking to the company Midland contracts for inspections.

"Vehicles are kind of funny. No matter how hard we try, we cannot catch 100 percent of the trucks or 100 percent of the vehicles. That's just the nature of the beast", said James Haun of Midessa Fire Extinguishers.

Calls to local, state and national organizations soon revealed that there is no agency or organization that oversees the inspection of fire extinguishers in city vehicles.

"The city would be the entity that's responsible for making sure that those standards are upheld", explained Jerry Hagins of the State Fire Marshal’s Office in Austin.

It's a violation of law to have an expired fire extinguisher in a business, but having one in a police car is perfectly legal.

The comment that strikes us the most that by the company in charge of fire extinguisher inspections.  Vehicles are not "kind of funny", especially those used by our first responders most likely to be on the scene of a traffic fire.  These fire extinguisher have to work as they are extremly likely to be called upon in life and death situaitons. 

Apparently, at least one Texas Legislator feels the same way.  CBS7.com continues:

After our story, Representative Tom Craddick, decided to take action.

"To me it just makes sense. If you're going to compel your officials to have it in the car you ought to make sure they work", he said.

In drafting House Bill 564, Craddick hopes to require annual fire extinguisher inspections for local governments that keep fire extinguishers in their vehicles.

We couldn't agree more.  Although with fire extinguishers this vital to public safety, annual inspections probably don't go far enough.  These critical life safety devices should be subject to at least the same level of inspection as those recommended in NFPA 10 for commercial buildings - a 30-day manual inspection or electronic monitoring of those extinguishers like that provided by en-Gauge with our electronic fire extinguisher monitoring system.

Risky Business

This past week I stayed in Miami in a boutique size, big chain hotel.  My stay at the hotel was mostly terrific.  Helpful and friendly staff, clean rooms and well kept facilities made my stay very pleasant.   Even in this well run hotel, however,  the fire extinguisher outside my room was empty.

Walking to my room, I noticed the Class ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher on the 9th floor had lost pressure  The pressure gauge read empty.  There was no visible means to tell when it was last inspected.  The fire extinguisher was in a locked cabinet.

I informed the front desk to the problem on both Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, and yet the inoperable fire extinguisher remained in service through my return to the hotel on the Wednesday the 22nd.

On Wednesday the 22nd, I again informed the front desk and stressed why having no usable fire extinguishers on the 9th floor was such a bad idea.  When I checked on the 23rd,  nothing had been done although it was assured it would get fixed.

During both my visits to the hotel there was construction being done on the 9th floor, and the only visible fire extinguisher was the empty, inoperative fire extinguisher close by in the hall. This creates a dangerous workplace situation, as well as a situation where hotel guests are at increased, unnecessary risk.

During my second visit I mentioned this issue to a member of the wait staff while asking who to talk to about this.  He said that he was not surprised as there has been “an empty one in the kitchen for months”.

I can’t say how long the fire extinguisher was empty.  I can say it showed no signs of vandalism and it may have been inspected to code.  It likely just leaked.  

I do not know if has been fixed. 

Yet again, proof of a structure put at risk due to 30 day fire extinguisher inspections being insufficient.

Here is a video of the 9th floor to give you an idea of the actual situation.

Fire extinguisher inspection

There are building owners and managers in all sectors who neglect 30 day fire extinguisher inspections,  To those that do,  I say,  you’re making a mistake.  You need to respect the fire codes and get the inspection job done or start monitoring your fire extinguishers. 

Fire extinguishers and fire systems as a whole are not infallible,  buildings need layers of fire protection, fire extinguishers are layer #1 in stopping a small fire from becoming a blaze.  Fire extinguishers in commercial structures in the United States stop more than 500 fires everyday* That includes an estimated 20 times everyday in hotels. 

Two Texas companies learned the hard way this week that failure to provide a safe workplace - and in particular accessible and functioning fire extinguishers - is very bad for business.  OSHA, the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, cited the companies on multiple willful and serious violations and levied fines that equal almost $400,000.

According to Reliable Plant Magazine:

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued Texas Linen Company Ltd. five serious and 15 repeat citations following a safety and health inspection at the company's facility in Austin, Texas. Proposed penalties total $126,400.

...Repeat citations were issued alleging a failure to keep flooring dry; cover floor holes; provide machine guards for rotating parts, points of operation, and sprockets and chains; provide illuminated exit signs and clear exit access; provide properly identified locks for machine servicing; and provide working and easily accessible portable fire extinguishers.

In a separate incident, OSHA has cited U.S. Minerals Inc. with three alleged willful and 35 alleged serious violations for exposing workers to multiple safety and health hazards at the company's facility in Galveston. Proposed penalties total $273,000.   According to the Houston Examiner:

Serious violations include failing to provide covers on chute floors, failing to remove damaged portable metal ladders from service, failing to ensure compressed gas cylinders were properly secured, failing to provide fire extinguishers where combustible and flammable materials were stored and failing to develop and document machine specific lockout/tag out procedures for equipment. A serious violation is one in which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

...Speaking on this issue, Mark Briggs, OSHA's area director for the Houston South Area Office said, “Employers' disregard for worker safety will not be tolerated. This company jeopardized the safety of its employees

 

As a company that has a history of over 40 years in fire protection and life safety, we understand how vital the work is that OSHA does in ensuring workplace safety.  Unfortunately, there are large spans of time in between inspections.  That is why it the en-Gauge fire extinguisher monitoring solution is so important to workplace safety.  The en-Gauge system monitors fire extinguishers 24 X 7 X 365 and ensures that these critical life safety devices are available, accessible and ready for use when needed.  Protect your company, lower your risk and make sure your employees are safe.

 

en-Gauge.  We Make The Places People Go, Safer.

A third major concern that businesses must be aware of is empty or depressurized extinguishers.  This is especially concerning, because the extinguisher is available and accessible, but when the user tries to fight the fire, the fire extinguisher does not function properly.  A non-pressurized fire extinguisher is a code violation and an example of the type of concern the 30-day fire extinguisher inspection is meant to address.  Unfortunately, it is a concern that is all to common as the 30-day fire extinguisher inspection leaves large windows of vulnerability (if they are performed at all).

As with missing and blocked fire extinguishers, it is easy to find depressurized (either through previous discharge or a slow leak) fire extinguishers in buildings.  Here are some examples of depressurized or empty fire extinguishers I"ve found in the last few months:

Depressurized or Empty Fire Extinguishers

Sorry about the focus on this one, I was just getting used to my new iPhone

Empty or depressurized fire extinguishers are a serious life safety risk.  They are meant to be identified and addressed during the monthy, 30-day fire extinguisher inspections. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of these inspections are actually performed and that puts lives at risk.  The 30 day window between inspections also is a substantial concern.  A much more effective method for complying with NFPA 10 is electronic monitoring of extinguishers which keeps track of the pressure in your extinguishers 24 X 7 X 365. 

Blocked Fire Extinguishers are another serious code violation that are easy to find when you are out running errands or going to meetings.  When access to a fire extinguisher is impeded by an object, it can mean the difference between life and death.  This is another concern the 30-day fire extinguisher inspection is meant to address, but since such a small percentage of these inspections are actually performed, an extinguisher can remained blocked for months - or even years - at a time. 

Here are some pictures of blocked fire extinguishers I have found in just that past few months.

Blocked Fire Extinguishers

This is a picture of a blocked fire extinguisher location with the extinguisher missing as well.

Blocked fire extinguishers are commonplace.  Unfortunately, they are also a serious life safety risk for the occupants of any buildings in which they reside.  The 30-day manual inspection as mandated by NFPA 10, is not sufficient to ensure fire extinguishers are accessible and available every day.  The en-Gauge electronic fire extinguisher monitoring system ensures that your extinguishers are where they are supposed to be, free of obstruction and ready to fight fires 24 X 7 X 365.

en-Gauge.  We make the places people go safer.

A 2009 survey by the Joint Commission an independent, non-profit organization that accredits health care organizations found that the number one challenge indicated in maintaining the environment of care was fire safety equipment maintenance.

Among the Joint Commission's requirements is the monthly physical maintenance and inspection of fire equipment. Monthly physical inspections can be costly, especially in time and labor required.

The good news is that like the NFPA and the ICC, the Joint Commission now recognizes en-Gauge's technology as an equivalent to the manual 30-day fire extinguisher inspections. Health care facilities that adopt en-Gauge can reduce risk, stay code compliant and potentially reduce the cost of extinguisher ownership by some 60% over 12 years.

Read the full release for details.

My family has been in the fire protection industry for over 40years,  This breeds a healthy repect for fire and its ability to wreak havoc on lives and property. It also encourages me to keep my eyes open for life safety concerns when I'm out and about. 

One of the most obvious and serious concerns is missing fire extinguishers.  In order to fight fire effectiveley and meet code, fire extinguishers must be easily accessible, so when it is not where it's supposed to be in an emergency, the results can be disastrous.  The locations for fire extinguishers must be clearly marked, so it is veryapparent when one is missing or moved. 

Here are some pictures of missing extinguishers I've taken in the past few weeks.

Missing Fire Extinguishers

The ease and frequency with which I find missing fire extinguishers is representative of a serious concern.  The 30-day manual inspection as mandated by NFPA 10, is not sufficient to ensure fire extinguishers are where they are supposed to be every day.  The en-Gauge electronic fire extinguisher monitoring system ensures that your extinguishers are where they are supposed to be and ready to fight fires 24X7X365.

en-Gauge.  We make the places people go safer.

Fire extinguisher inspection is act of ensuring that a fire extinguisher is available, accessible and functioning properly.  Fire extinguisher inspection is required for all fire extinguisher types in the United States.  Fire extinguisher inspection is required by state and local fire codes driven by the international fire codes and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  The NFPA fire code that covers fire extinguisher inspection is NFPA 10.  

NFPA 10 requires both annual and 30 day fire extinguisher inspections.  These inspections have three primary objectives: 1) insure the fire extinguisher is in place 2) the fire extinguisher is not obstructed and 3) insure that the fire extinguisher is in working order.

30 day fire extinguisher inspections are required unless the fire extinguisher is monitored by an electronic monitoring system such as the en-Gauge system.