Portable fire extinguishers — servicing and disposal (Austria)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
The portable fire extinguishers of an Austrian company, shop or apartment building: servicing every two years under TRVB 124 F, in-house visual checks between services, an inventory of the devices and the end-of-life rules, including foams that contain PFAS. It is written for whoever answers for the premises — employer, property manager, fire safety officer — not for the technician who carries out the service. It does not cover fixed extinguishing systems, wall hydrants or fire detection, which follow their own intervals.
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Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 9 planned checks, the most frequent every 3 months since the last inspection
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 12/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Put a used extinguisher back in service at once
An extinguisher that has been discharged, even for a couple of seconds, is no longer ready for use and must be recharged and checked immediately, without waiting for the two-year deadline; the same applies after damage, a major repair or any doubt about the condition of the device. This is a standing duty of whoever runs the workplace or the building, not a calendar deadline: while the extinguisher is away, an equivalent device must stand in its place. Recharging and re-inspection are the specialist firm’s job.
continuous checkLegal obligationAStV § 13 (Prüfungen); § 42 (Löschhilfen); TRVB 124 FAustria only - 02
Phase out firefighting foams with PFOA and C9-C14 PFCA
The EU POP Regulation and Annex XVII of REACH ban PFOA, its salts and C9-C14 PFCA substances in firefighting foams: the transition period ended on 4 July 2025, so extinguishers and stocks still filled with those foams must be identified and replaced, not simply used up. The duty falls on whoever holds the devices and the concentrates; ask the supplier or the servicing firm to confirm the composition, safety data sheet in hand. Liquids for disposal (concentrates, premix, rinse water) go through a hazardous waste channel: discharge to the sewer is never allowed. The ban covers these substances; the wider European restriction on the whole PFAS family is still under assessment.
continuous checkLegal obligationVerordnung (EU) 2019/1021 (POP-Verordnung); Anhang XVII REACH — PFOA, ihre Salze und C9-C14-PFCA in FeuerlöschschäumenAustria onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 03
Hand withdrawn extinguishers to an authorised channel
A withdrawn extinguisher is a pressure vessel with an extinguishing agent inside: it does not belong in residual waste, in general scrap or in a cellar, but goes to the specialist firm that depressurises and dismantles it, or to an authorised collector. Foam, additive water and halogenated devices are handled as hazardous waste, powder and CO2 devices as non-hazardous waste: that is the classification documented on the German market, and in Austria it should be confirmed with the receiving company before handover. The waste holder is the owner of the device; keep the handover receipt.
continuous checkRecommendedAWG 2002 (Pflichten der Abfallbesitzer); Abfallverzeichnisverordnung 2020Austria only - 04
Keep extinguishers accessible and signposted
A useful extinguisher is one that can be found in the dark and reached in a few steps: the spot must stay clear of goods and furniture, the sign visible from across the room and the device hung at the intended height. This is a day-to-day organisational duty of whoever runs the premises and concerns all staff; the six-monthly review exists to re-check positions after moves, building works and changes of use. Any change belongs in the extinguisher register.
continuous check, confirm every 6 monthsCompany ruleAustria only - 05
Keep the extinguisher register up to date
A register with serial number, extinguishing agent, year of manufacture, location and date of the last inspection is what makes it possible to know which device is due when, and to notice when one has disappeared. It is an organisational task of the company or the property management, not a standalone statutory duty, but without it the two-year interval cannot be managed on a site with more than a handful of extinguishers. Update it at every service, replacement and relocation; the annual review is there to reconcile it with what is actually in the rooms.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsCompany ruleAustria only - 06
Instruct staff in the use of extinguishers
Someone who has never pulled a safety pin will not pull it during their first fire: a hands-on drill with the type of extinguisher actually installed on the premises is the recommendation that goes with the general duty to inform and instruct staff. The yearly interval is advised practice, not a deadline set by an Austrian rule we were able to verify. The instruction can be given by the fire safety officer, by the fire brigade or by the same firm that services the devices.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsRecommendedAustria only - 07
Have the extinguishers serviced every two years
Every portable extinguisher must be maintained and checked at least every two years: TRVB 124 F sets this interval, and in workplaces the AStV turns it into a duty to inspect in every second calendar year, and in any case within 27 months of the previous inspection. The duty falls on the employer for the devices on the premises and on the owner or property manager for those in common areas. The work is done by a specialist firm or by a person qualified for that type of extinguisher, never by the people who would use it: the proof is the inspection certificate together with the dated label on the device.
every 24 months since the last jobLegal obligationTRVB 124 F (Erhaltung und Überprüfung tragbarer Feuerlöscher); AStV § 13 (Prüfungen) und § 42 (Löschhilfen)Austria onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 08
Check the extinguishers by sight between services
Two years pass between one service and the next: a visual round every quarter catches a pressure gauge out of the green zone, a broken seal, a hidden sign or a device that has been moved. The quarterly interval is common practice and our recommendation, not a statutory deadline: anyone with a higher fire risk shortens it. The check is done by an instructed member of staff or the fire safety officer, and it never replaces the service carried out by the specialist firm.
every 3 months since the last inspectionRecommendedAustria only - 09
Replace extinguishers at the end of their service life
An extinguisher does not last forever: the binding limit is the one stated by the manufacturer, which may be shorter, while Austrian practice linked to TRVB 124 F points to withdrawal at the latest some twenty years after manufacture. We treat the twenty-year figure as advice rather than a statutory deadline, because the source is of medium confidence: before scrapping anything, have the servicing firm confirm the limit year. The annual review is there to spot the oldest devices in the fleet in good time.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsRecommendedTRVB 124 F; Angaben des Herstellers zur NutzungsdauerAustria only
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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