Fire extinguisher inspection schedule: monthly, annual, hydrostatic
Extinguishers need three different things on three different clocks — a quick monthly look, a professional annual service, and a hydrostatic test every several years depending on the type. Work out where yours stand.
Stamped on the cylinder or label.
Leave blank if never done.
- Monthly check: every month, by your own staff — pin, seal, gauge, clear access, tag punched.
- Annual service: enter your last service date
- Hydrostatic test: enter manufacture or last test date
Hydrostatic intervals follow the agent type and appear on the unit's own label; your local fire authority or service company will confirm for your building.
Three clocks, not one
Extinguishers confuse people because three separate obligations run at once, and only one of them is yours to perform.
- Monthly visual check — your own staff, about 30 seconds per unit, and it must be recorded
- Annual service — a qualified technician inspects, services and re-tags the unit
- Hydrostatic test — the cylinder itself is pressure-tested every 5 or 12 years depending on type
What the monthly check is looking for
It is deliberately quick, because it is meant to be done every month without becoming a burden: the unit is where it should be, the pin and tamper seal are intact, the gauge is in the green, there is no visible damage or corrosion, access is not blocked, the sign is visible, and the tag is punched for the month.
CO₂ units often have no gauge — those are checked by weight against the figure on the tag, which is a job for the annual service rather than the monthly look.
The record is the deliverable
An inspector is not usually asking whether you looked at the extinguisher last March. They are asking you to prove it. A punched tag on the unit and a dated record with a name against it is what turns a routine walk-through into evidence.
Have this tracked for you
Extinguishers, emergency lights, alarms and kitchen suppression — monthly checks on a schedule, and professional service booked before it's overdue.