Firefighting Equipment

Do I need fire extinguishers?

Fire extinguishers can help minimise the risk to people if fire breaks out. The primary purpose of a fire extinguisher is to aid escape from a fire.

The number and type of fire extinguishers you require depends on the nature of your business and the risks involved.

You can find more detail on firefighting equipment that is relevant to your type of premises in Part 2, Section 3 of the free guide on risk assessment (gov.uk, opens in a new window).

What extinguishers do I need?

No single type of extinguisher is totally effective on every kind of fire. 

You can find more information about choosing extinguishers in the Government guidance for your premises

As a rule of thumb, you should have one extinguisher for every 200 metre squared (m²) of floor space with at least one on each floor.