Portable fire extinguishers (Germany)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For German employers and building operators with portable fire extinguishers in a workplace, a shop or a commercial let. Covers the two-yearly repeat inspection, the less frequent work on the body of the appliance (internal examination and pressure test), the day-to-day watch over number, position and legible labels, and end-of-life disposal with the split between hazardous and non-hazardous extinguishers. Wall hydrants, sprinkler systems and wheeled extinguishers beyond what also applies to portable ones are out of scope.
Questions about this product?
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
- 8 planned checks, the most frequent every 24 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.
- 01
Schedule the pressure test of the extinguisher body
The body of an extinguisher is a pressure vessel and must be tested by a person qualified for pressure equipment: if it passes, the appliance receives a new stamp, otherwise it goes permanently out of service. Ten years is the figure the sector quotes, but the annexes of the pressure equipment ordinance were not consulted and the interval remains to be confirmed against the manufacturer documentation and the date stamped on the cylinder. The operator carries the duty and must be able to show which test was done and when.
every 120 months since the last inspectionRecommendedBetrSichV (Druckgeräte) i.V.m. DIN 14406-4Germany only - 02
Keep powder and CO2 extinguishers out of municipal waste
ABC and BC powder extinguishers and carbon dioxide extinguishers are classified as NON-hazardous waste: this is the correction the verifier applied to an earlier reading that placed them in an intermediate category. That does not make them municipal waste: they remain pressure vessels and must be handed to the dealer, the manufacturer or an authorised collection point. Choosing the right route is the duty of whoever disposes of the appliance, and the handover document is what shows where it went.
continuous checkLegal obligationAVV (Abfallverzeichnis-Verordnung); Merkblatt bvfa zur Entsorgung von FeuerlöschernGermany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 03
Treat water, foam and halon extinguishers as hazardous waste
When an extinguisher leaves service — because it failed an inspection, because the body no longer passes the pressure test, or because it is being replaced — the waste classification follows the extinguishing agent. Foam, water (including water merely dosed with wetting agents, antifreeze or corrosion inhibitors) and halon appliances are hazardous waste and must go to an authorised route. The duty falls on the waste producer, that is the company disposing of them. Anyone exceeding two tonnes of hazardous waste a year — roughly two hundred water extinguishers — needs a waste producer number.
continuous checkLegal obligationAVV (Abfallverzeichnis-Verordnung); Merkblatt bvfa zur Entsorgung von FeuerlöschernGermany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 04
Replace and dispose of PFAS firefighting foams
The ban is no longer in preparation: the POP Regulation and REACH Annex XVII prohibit PFOA, its salts and C9-C14 PFCA substances in firefighting foams, and the replacement deadline expired on 4 July 2025. Anyone still holding foam extinguishers or systems must have them replaced and disposed of by an authorised company: concentrates, premix and rinsing water with AOF of 5 µg/l or more are hazardous waste (EWC 16 10 01*), while rinsing water below that threshold falls under EWC 16 10 02. Discharging to the sewer or releasing deliberately remains a criminal matter.
continuous checkLegal obligationVerordnung (EU) 2019/1021 (POP) i.V.m. Anhang XVII REACH; LAGA-Merkblatt PFAS-haltige Abfälle (Mai 2025)Germany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 05
Schedule the internal examination of the extinguisher
The body is opened, the extinguishing agent renewed and the seals replaced; this is done by a competent person or the manufacturer's workshop, never by the operator. Industry practice indicates four years for stored-pressure extinguishers and five for cartridge-operated ones, but that interval was not read on an official source: what counts is the figure on the appliance and in the manufacturer's documentation, which always prevails. The reminder is set to four years as a cautious assumption and should be corrected per appliance.
every 48 months since the last jobRecommendedDIN 14406-4 i.V.m. BetrSichVGermany only - 06
Check extinguishers visually every month
The operator, or someone they appoint, looks that every extinguisher is in place, reachable and signposted, with the gauge in the green zone, the seal intact and the label readable. This is an internal routine: the workplace ordinance requires fire-fighting equipment to be kept serviceable but sets no interval for this look, so the month is recommended practice and not a numeric duty. It catches, between two inspections, the appliances that have been moved, hidden behind a pallet or already discharged.
continuous check, confirm every 1 monthsRecommendedArbStättV § 4 Abs. 3Germany only - 07
Review the number and location of extinguishers
How many extinguishers are needed and where they hang does not follow from floor area alone: the German technical rule derives it from area and fire risk through extinguishing agent units, and the employer risk assessment may require more. This card carries no figures; they must be read in the current version of the technical rule. The employer carries the duty, the review is repeated after every change of layout, extension or new process, and the up-to-date inventory of appliances is what makes the choice demonstrable.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationArbStättV Anhang Nr. 2.2 i.V.m. ASR A2.2Germany only - 08
Have fire extinguishers inspected at least every 2 years
The duty falls on the employer or the operator of the workplace, including the landlord of a commercial let for the appliances they provide. The inspection cannot be self-certified: it is carried out by a competent person under DIN 14406-4, normally the manufacturer service or a specialist company, who checks pressure, tightness, extinguishing agent, valve and the legibility of the instructions. The evidence is the dated inspection label on the appliance together with the company record. Keeping to the cadence helps you meet the duty, it does not replace it: a damaged or discharged appliance must be inspected at once, not at the two-year mark.
every 24 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationDIN 14406-4 i.V.m. ASR A2.2 und ArbStättVGermany onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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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