Author Topic: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?  (Read 47852 times)

Offline AnthonyB

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #15 on: September 09, 2011, 06:51:04 PM »
I must admit it's a bit of a gamble. UK Fire/Britannia have slipped further out of the mainstream over the years, primarily because of cost from my experience.

EN3 saw the floodgates open on cheaper European and Far/Middle Eastern product and traditional UK (& US) manufacture was hit hard with UK Fire & Amerex who formerly had stood up well in the trade to TG and Ranpart/Pyrene loosing trade customers left, right & centre.It was a further bitter blow when the largest independent fire protection company FPS finally buckled to the pressure of the conglomerates and UKF saw their biggest general market customer go 'in house' (to Gloria) for extinguisher product.

The acquisition of Firemaster's brand & products seemed a good way to re-enter the market in the retail/motor/leisure sector, but the ubiquitous aerosol extinguisher had taken a hammering by the now affordable availability of gauged refillable extinguishers championed by Guardian, Fire Blitz Firex/Firefly and Kidde's introduction of Gloria kit to the DIY market.

Unless the export/petrochemical market continues to hold up for Britannia , Firemark will be the only remaining mainstream UK extinguisher manufacturer with only a few small specialists in the aerospace & motor-sport markets to keep them company.

There is a couple of applications in my main sector where this 'maintenance free' product would benefit the client if the principle holds up in court, but on the whole it's traditional equipment for me.

Rather than 'innovations' in extinguishers like this I would far rather someone bring Cold Fire to the market here!
Anthony Buck
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Offline TFEM

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #16 on: September 10, 2011, 05:33:41 AM »
Firemark (FPS) Bristol cease production this month.
That equals zero other than the UKF plastic one.
John

Offline AnthonyB

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #17 on: September 10, 2011, 10:44:03 PM »
Really?

And they spent a fortune recently revamping the website and everything!

Mind you I hardly see their stuff these days and their coup of supplying TYCO (who you would have thought would have used TOTAL stuff as they own them) was short lived as TYCO soon moved on to Excelsius (who seem to be hanging on via this contract too as their stuff isn't widely used).

If they are going it just leaves specialist market companies, a sad day!
Anthony Buck
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Offline John

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #18 on: September 11, 2011, 05:40:22 PM »
Don't forget Nuswift still manufacture ion the UK  :P

Offline AnthonyB

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #19 on: September 12, 2011, 07:13:49 PM »
I'd love to see some proof of that - there is a big difference between full manufacture and assembling, most of the old Elland factory is out of use & is a redevelopment site (source Calderdale Council), BWH for the London Securities group has a lot of suspiciously Chinese looking deep drawns, valves and other bits and the Nu Swift brand stuff that still refuses to be simple seize & squeeze looks like it's from mainland Europe where their overseas subsidiaries stock it all.



They dodge saying made in the UK on all group sites, just that stuff is made in their own factory. Chubb & Jewel have their own exclusive factories too - in China.

If they are genuinely still making stuff a factory visit would be nice - I've been to Angus & part of UK Fire over the years, would be nice to see another!
Anthony Buck
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Offline John

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #20 on: September 12, 2011, 10:57:29 PM »

If they are genuinely still making stuff a factory visit would be nice

I don't work for them any more so I can't invite you  ;D

Jactone still manufacture in the UK.  I had a factory tour there a couple of years ago.  Impressive burst testing.

Offline AnthonyB

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #21 on: September 14, 2011, 12:43:08 AM »
Yes, they do, but even they have had to pander to the cheap end of the market with their Economy range from Orientx in China (that well used manufacturer who supplies Firex/Firefly, Titan, TG S/X).

Google street viewed the Elland site, it's seen better days!
Anthony Buck
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Offline Tom W

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2011, 12:09:44 PM »
Interesting read and product.

It has its faults but so does getting it serviced by an engineer. If people are reliant on an engineer they generally don't know anything is wrong until the tech points it out, Which could be months.

If people adopt their own checking properly it could actually mean less risk.

You can argue it either way

Offline AnthonyB

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2011, 11:54:15 PM »
And if you are reliant on a lot of the engineers out there you will still not know if it's going to work!
Anthony Buck
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Offline John

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #24 on: October 06, 2011, 10:42:35 AM »

If people adopt their own checking properly it could actually mean less risk.


If do believe Captain Porky is about to take off from runway 6  ;D

Offline nearlythere

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #25 on: October 06, 2011, 10:55:35 AM »
As a matter of interest can the FAFFE engineers give the proportion of the extinguishers they sell are returned for refill because of being used on a fire? (Not for training purposes).
We're not Brazil we're Northern Ireland.

Offline Tom Sutton

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #26 on: December 17, 2011, 09:31:43 AM »
I heard that the commercial arm of the Notts fire brigade is selling the Fireworld extinguishers now, however, they still offer servicing with it. Belts and braces??
All my responses only apply to England and Wales and they are an overview of the subject, hopefully it will point you in the right direction and always treat with caution.

Offline nearlythere

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #27 on: December 17, 2011, 10:26:06 AM »
I heard that the commercial arm of the Notts fire brigade is selling the Fireworld extinguishers now, however, they still offer servicing with it. Belts and braces??
How much do they sell the range for?
We're not Brazil we're Northern Ireland.

Offline AnthonyB

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #28 on: December 19, 2011, 01:09:11 AM »
I don't disbelieve you but would be suprised if NFRS (Trading) Ltd had gone over to Britannia stuff (although Durham's extinguisher department were big users back in the day.

I would guess they suspect that most users won't bother with the user annual check so are offering to do it for them (easy money after all!), plus some premises may have a mix of traditional and Fireworld types.


Notts F&R have had an extinguisher division for years that had operated as commercially as it could for most of that time (i.e. local authority & similar premises). They actually service them properly & have been BAFE approved for years (unlike one 'rag & tag' brigade I could name who are still hanging on to a couple of sites by the skin of their teeth, having finally lost most of their LA contracts)

They used to use Thomas Glover for years then Saffire. They are the last organisation to install new total discharge extinguishers in the 1990's as they had a batch of the old 70's TG plastic headed water extinguishers made for them around 1989/1990 via Thorn Security. I remember filling a load of them prior to delivery at the Thorn branch in Sheffield at the time and wondered who had gone to the trouble of resurrecting a model discontinued around 1980, later to find them all over Nottingham LA premises. I managed to secure one for the collection  few years back.
Anthony Buck
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Offline Tom Sutton

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Re: The end of the extinguisher servicing industry?
« Reply #29 on: December 19, 2011, 10:00:46 AM »
I don't disbelieve you but would be suprised if NFRS (Trading) Ltd had gone over to Britannia stuff (although Durham's extinguisher department were big users back in the day.

I don't really know its only hearsay, as far as I can find out they do not have a commercial website (prices and such) its part of their FRS website and just providing brief details.





All my responses only apply to England and Wales and they are an overview of the subject, hopefully it will point you in the right direction and always treat with caution.