Lots of UK businesses assume that any facilities engineer, caretaker or “handy person” can do the annual fire extinguisher service.

In reality, the law splits things into two roles:

  • A responsible person who has to keep fire safety equipment maintained and record it
  • A competent person who actually carries out the technical servicing and tests

If you mix those up, you can end up with extinguishers that look fine on the wall but don’t meet BS 5306-3 or the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

So, who services fire extinguishers in the UK? In most workplaces, annual servicing should be carried out by a trained fire extinguisher technician or competent fire protection company, while routine visual checks can be handled internally by trained site staff.

Quick answer

In the UK, portable fire extinguishers must be serviced at least once a year by a competent person – usually a trained extinguisher technician working for a third-party certificated company (for example, under the BAFE SP101 scheme).

Your in-house team can carry out regular visual checks and keep the fire logbook up to date, but those checks do not replace the annual service or the five-/ten-year extended service and overhauls required by BS 5306-3.

Jump To:

1. Who is legally responsible for extinguisher servicing?

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, every non-domestic premises has a “responsible person” – typically the employer, building owner, landlord or managing agent. They’re legally required to keep firefighting equipment in efficient working order and good repair.

In practice, that means the responsible person must:

  • Make sure suitable extinguishers are installed
  • Arrange regular maintenance in line with British Standards (usually BS 5306-3 and BS 5306-8)
  • Keep records – service labels, asset lists, certificates, logbook entries
  • Act on faults, failed services or audit findings

So the responsible person doesn’t have to do the servicing themselves – but they are on the hook if it isn’t done properly.

Velocity Safety supports responsible persons across the UK by acting as their competent servicing partner – delivering BS 5306-3 annual services, extended maintenance and full reporting.

If you need a straightforward way to stay compliant, explore our Fire Extinguisher Servicing & Maintenance services.

2. What is a “competent person” for fire extinguisher servicing?

BS 5306-3 defines a competent person as someone who has:

  • The necessary training, experience and technical understanding
  • Access to the correct tools, testing equipment and manufacturer manuals
  • Up-to-date knowledge of British Standards and extinguisher design

A competent extinguisher technician must be able to:

  • Identify whether each extinguisher is the right type, rating and location for the risk
  • Carry out the annual service, five-year extended service and ten-year overhauls at the correct intervals
  • Spot when a unit is unsafe, obsolete, counterfeit or non-compliant
  • Produce clear, auditable records that stand up to insurer checks and enforcement visits

In the UK, one of the strongest indicators of competence is working with a provider whose technicians hold third-party certification, such as the BAFE SP101 scheme for portable extinguishers. This gives the responsible person confidence that servicing is being completed to a recognised national standard.

Velocity Safety’s technicians meet the competency requirements for all stages of extinguisher maintenance – from commissioning and decommissioning to annual servicing and extended tests – ensuring your equipment is maintained exactly as BS 5306-3 expects.

3. Who can inspect fire extinguishers in the UK?

This is where the terminology gets confusing, because “inspection” is used to describe two very different activities.

There are two distinct levels of extinguisher inspection in the UK:

Monthly visual inspections (in-house)

BS 5306-3 says the responsible person should carry out visual inspections at least once a month – more often if there’s a higher risk of damage or misuse.

These checks can be done by trained staff on site. They’re looking for obvious issues such as:

  • Extinguishers missing from brackets or stands
  • Obvious damage, corrosion, leaks or tampering
  • Blocked, taped-up or badly positioned units
  • Pressure gauge out of the green
  • Missing pins, broken seals or unreadable instructions

Monthly inspections do not require a specialist contractor. They’re part of routine workplace checks and are a good fit for your facilities team or fire wardens – as long as the findings are logged in the fire safety record.

If you’re unsure how often these checks should be carried out, or what the law expects, see our guide: How Often Should Fire Extinguishers Be Checked?

Annual servicing and extended service (competent person only)

The annual service, five-year extended service and ten-year overhauls/pressure tests must be carried out by a competent person – not general staff.

So, if someone searches:

  • “Who can inspect fire extinguishers in the UK?”
  • “Can I inspect my own fire extinguishers?”

The honest answer is:

  • Yes – you can carry out monthly visual inspections in-house
  • No – those checks don’t replace the annual service and longer-interval maintenance by a competent extinguisher technician

4. Can you service your own extinguishers in-house?

In theory, a business could train and equip an internal technician to the same standard as an external provider.

In practice, most organisations don’t have:

  • The formal training and assessment route (for example, a BAFE-invigilated course)
  • The specialist tools and discharge/test facilities
  • The time to keep up with changes in standards and manufacturer guidance

That’s why insurers, auditors and enforcement officers typically expect to see third-party certificated service reports from a fire protection company – especially in higher-risk sectors (manufacturing, healthcare, education, warehousing, process and chemical sites).

For most workplaces, the pragmatic, defensible model is:

  • In-house: monthly visual checks + logbook
  • External competent person: annual servicing, extended services, refills, replacements and decommissioning

If you’re unsure whether your current setup meets the requirements, a one-off independent review can help. Velocity Safety provides Fire Extinguisher Surveys & Compliance Audits to assess whether your equipment, positioning and maintenance records meet BS 5306 and RRO expectations

5. How often should fire extinguishers be serviced by a qualified engineer?

Fire extinguishers should normally be serviced by a qualified engineer at least once every 12 months. This annual service checks the condition, pressure, weight, seals, tamper indicators, labelling, location and suitability of each unit.

Some extinguishers also need extended servicing at longer intervals. Water, foam, powder and wet chemical extinguishers usually need an extended service after 5 years, while CO₂ extinguishers require periodic overhaul and pressure testing, usually at 10 years.

6. Red flags that your current provider isn’t “competent”

If you’re trying to decide whether your existing contractor counts as a competent person, watch out for:

  • Sticker-only servicing – a quick walk-round and labels, with no meaningful checks or test records
  • No asset register – you don’t have a clear list of extinguishers by location, type, rating and service history
  • No reference to BS 5306-3 / BS 5306-8 in paperwork or reports
  • No explanation of extended service intervals or when units should be replaced
  • Poor basic practice – wrong types in kitchens, powder in offices, or missing CO₂ near electrical distribution boards

Any of those should trigger a review – and often a fresh survey and compliance audit by a more robust provider.

7. How Velocity Safety typically supports UK workplaces

For most of our clients across the North West and wider UK, the split looks like this:

  • The responsible person (employer, estate manager, landlord, school business manager, etc.) keeps ownership of the fire risk assessment and the fire logbook
  • Velocity Safety acts as the competent person for extinguishers – delivering maintenance that meets the expectations of BS 5306 and insurers.

Our extinguisher support typically includes:

For multi-site estates, construction projects and high-hazard environments, we can also integrate extinguisher work with other safety services – from face fit testing and RPE inspections to PSSR examinations, fall protection inspections and workplace noise / HAV measurement.

8. Next steps if you’re not sure your extinguishers are compliant

If you’re unsure whether your current extinguisher arrangements meet UK requirements, a few quick checks can give you clarity:

  • Look for current service labels on every extinguisher – not just a sticker, but a properly signed and dated service record
  • Confirm who is acting as your competent person, and whether they can demonstrate recognised training or certification (e.g. BAFE SP101)
  • Review your fire logbook – is annual servicing documented? Are monthly checks recorded?
  • Arrange a survey or servicing visit if any units are overdue, records are missing, or you’re unsure whether a previous contractor worked to BS 5306-3

From there, Velocity Safety can help you move from “we think they’re okay” to clear, auditable compliance that stands up to insurers, auditors and enforcing authorities.

Explore our Fire Extinguisher Servicing & Maintenance offering.

Or get in touch to book a visit.

9. FAQs

Here are the most common questions about who can service, inspect, check and certify fire extinguishers in the UK.

Who can service a fire extinguisher?

A fire extinguisher should be serviced by a competent person, usually a trained fire extinguisher technician working for a recognised fire protection company.

Who can inspect fire extinguishers?

Basic visual inspections can be carried out in-house by trained staff, such as fire wardens or facilities teams. Annual servicing and extended maintenance must be carried out by a competent person.

Who checks fire extinguishers each month?

The responsible person should make sure monthly visual checks are completed and recorded. These can be carried out by trained staff on site, provided they know what to look for and record any defects.

Do fire extinguishers need to be certified?

Yes. Fire extinguishers should have clear service records, maintenance labels and certificates or reports showing they have been inspected and maintained by a competent person.

What does a fire extinguisher technician do?

A fire extinguisher technician inspects, services, tests, labels and records portable fire extinguishers. They check condition, pressure, weight, suitability, location, safety pins, seals, hoses, signage and any defects requiring repair or replacement.

What qualifications do you need to service fire extinguishers?

A technician should have suitable training, experience and knowledge of BS 5306-3, extinguisher types, servicing procedures, safety requirements and record-keeping. Third-party schemes such as BAFE SP101 are often used to demonstrate competence.