Buyer guide
Required by lawDo I need fire extinguishers?
Yes. Almost every premises needs some. How many and what type is set by your fire risk assessment and not by the extinguisher company. The annual service and the monthly check you do yourself. The five year discharge. And why per unit servicing is where the small print bites.
Applies to: England and Wales under the Fire Safety Order. Equivalent duties in Scotland and Northern Ireland. BS 5306-3 and BS 5306-8 are the UK standards.
Looking for the technical detail? Read the version for professionals → BS 5306-3:2017 and BS 5306-8:2023 and BS EN 3. Provision calculations. Service intervals and commissioning.
Do I need them? Yes. Almost every premises needs at least one and most need several. How many and what type is a fire risk assessment decision.
Once I have them what is the ongoing duty? A monthly check by you. An annual service by an engineer. An extended service every five years or ten for CO2.
Where do buyers lose money? Per unit pricing with a minimum charge that makes a two extinguisher shop pay for six. "Replacement every five years" that is not in any standard. And more extinguishers than the assessment calls for, each of which then costs money every year for life.
What the law actually requires
Article 13 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 says premises must be equipped with appropriate fire fighting equipment to the extent appropriate. Article 17 says it must be kept in efficient working order and good repair. The assessment decides what is appropriate. Scotland and Northern Ireland impose the same duty.
BS 5306-8:2023 sets how many and what type. For ordinary combustibles it wants a minimum of two extinguishers per floor and one 13A extinguisher for every 200 square metres of floor. Nearly every premises also needs a CO2 beside each one for the electrical equipment. Nobody should be more than 30 metres from one. Kitchens with deep fat fryers need wet chemical. Very small premises can justify a single extinguisher. BS 5306-3:2017 sets the maintenance regime. A monthly user check. An annual basic service. An extended service at five years or ten for CO2. Neither is law. Both are the benchmark.
Insurers commonly require extinguishers to be provided to BS 5306-8 and serviced annually to BS 5306-3 by a competent company. BAFE SP101 registration is the usual scheme. They want service labels and records. After a fire the service label is the first thing the loss adjuster photographs.
What this means for your premises
Small office or shop with one floor and no cooking: typically two extinguishers near the exit. A water or foam for general risk and a CO2 for electrical. Some very small premises justify one.
Restaurant or café or takeaway: the above plus a wet chemical unit and a fire blanket in the kitchen.
Multi floor premises: the minimum on every floor, positioned so nobody is more than 30 metres from one. Ideally on escape routes and by exits.
Workshops and garages and plant rooms: additional types depending on the risk. The assessment decides.
Your options
Provision
Take the numbers and types from the fire risk assessment. Buy them outright. They are cheap. Have them commissioned on site by a competent person under BS 5306-3 and get the commissioning certificate. Commissioning checks they are the right units and charged and positioned.
Do not rent. Rental schemes cost several times the purchase price over a few years and tie the servicing to the supplier.
Maintenance: the two layers
Layer 1: monthly by you. Each unit in its place and unobstructed. Pin and seal intact. Gauge in the green. No corrosion or damage. Service label current. Two minutes a unit. Record it.
Layer 2: annual basic service by a competent engineer. Every unit inspected and weighed where relevant. Labelled and recorded. Use a BAFE SP101 company or equivalent. Pay per visit.
Extended service at five years (ten for CO2): discharge, internal inspection, refill. Often it is cheaper to replace a small water or foam unit than to put it through the extended service. Ask for both prices.
What it should cost
Basic annual service: £115 for the first five extinguishers and £14 for each one after. That covers the call out. Extended service with refill: £35 a unit. New units: a 6 litre foam or 9 litre water is £40. A 2 kg CO2 is £45. A 6 litre wet chemical is £80.
Watch the minimum charge. A two extinguisher shop paying £115 is normal. It is sometimes cheaper to have the extinguisher engineer come on the same visit as the alarm or emergency lighting engineer, That needs a contractor who does both and prices them separately.
Figures are typical prices taken from published commercial price guides and checked October 2026. Same method on every page. Larger or more complex premises sit above them.
What you shouldn’t be sold
- More extinguishers than the assessment calls for. Each one costs to buy and to service every year and to discharge and refill every five. The number is in your assessment, not in the supplier's van.
- "Replacement every five years". The standard says extended service at five years and not replacement. Most units last 10 to 20 years.
- Rental schemes. Buying is cheaper by a wide margin within two years.
- Per unit servicing with a hidden minimum charge. Get the minimum charge in writing before the visit.
- New units on the annual service because "the label has expired". The label records when the last service was. The service is what is due, not a new extinguisher.
- Powder extinguishers indoors. Cheap and sold by the case. They wreck visibility and electronics and BS 5306-8 advises against them indoors. Foam or water plus CO2 is the right combination for most premises.
- Extinguisher training as a legal requirement for every employee. Staff need to know what to do in a fire. Formal extinguisher training is good practice for fire marshals and not a statutory course for all.
Check what else your business needs
Extinguishers are the last line. Your fire risk assessment sets them alongside your fire alarm and emergency lighting. Run the Compliance Check to see everything your premises needs.
Quick answers
- Are fire extinguishers a legal requirement?
- Yes. The Fire Safety Order requires premises to be equipped with appropriate fire fighting equipment to the extent the fire risk assessment says is necessary. For almost every business that means at least one extinguisher and usually two or more.
- How many fire extinguishers do I need?
- BS 5306-8 gives a starting point for ordinary premises. A minimum of two water or foam extinguishers per floor and one 13A unit for every 200 square metres. Nobody more than 30 metres from one. Nearly every premises also needs a CO2 beside each one for the electrical equipment. Small single room premises can justify one. Kitchens need a wet chemical unit. Your fire risk assessment settles it.
- How often do fire extinguishers need servicing?
- An annual basic service by a competent person under BS 5306-3, plus a monthly visual check by you. Water and foam and powder units need an extended service with discharge and refill every five years. CO2 units every ten years.
- Can I check fire extinguishers myself?
- The monthly check, yes. Right place and unobstructed. Pin and tamper seal in place. Pressure gauge in the green. No damage and the service label current. Record it. The annual service and the extended service need a competent engineer.
- How much does fire extinguisher servicing cost?
- A basic annual service is £115 for the first five extinguishers and £14 for each one after. Call out included. An extended service with refill is £35 a unit. A new 6 litre foam or 9 litre water extinguisher is £40 and a 2 kg CO2 is £45.
- How long do fire extinguishers last?
- With annual servicing and extended service on schedule most last 10 to 20 years. There is no fixed replacement date. Being told extinguishers must be replaced every five years is a sales line and not the standard.
- Do I need staff training on extinguishers?
- Staff must know what to do in a fire. That includes knowing where the extinguishers are and whether they are expected to use them. Formal extinguisher training is good practice and often part of fire marshal training. It is not a legal requirement for every employee.
Find and check
Who can I use for this?
We do not recommend suppliers. Here is the official register and what to check before you book.
The register
- BAFE SP101 registered companies Third party certified for extinguisher service.
Check
- BAFE SP101 certification.
- A price per unit and a minimum charge both in writing before the visit.
- That basic parts are included in the service price.
Ask
- What is your minimum charge and how many units does it cover?
- What will the extended service cost at five years and is it cheaper to replace?
- Are fire blankets included or extra?
Insist on
- The number of units comes from your fire risk assessment and not from the van.
- Buy your extinguishers. Do not rent them.
- Pay per visit. If you take a contract it must be cancellable at any time with no fee.
General information about UK compliance, written for the person paying the bill. Not legal advice. If your situation is unusual, get a professional to look at it. See our editorial standards.