Fire extinguisher: No standards, how to manage?

According to Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality, Ministry of Science and Technology, Vietnam does not have national technical regulations (including mandatory technical standards) on fire extinguishers, and these products on the market do not have labels from the management agency.

Checking a car for fire prevention and fighting equipment. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Mr. Hai added that the management of issues related to fire prevention and fighting is carried out by the Ministry of Public Security. When knowing that the regulation requiring cars with 4 seats or more to have fire extinguishers was about to take effect, the General Department of Standards and Metrology coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to review and propose the development of national standards on fire extinguishers. After the Ministry of Public Security proposed the development of national standards on fire extinguishers, the Ministry of Science and Technology, specifically the General Department of Standards and Metrology, will coordinate the implementation.

Fire extinguisher quality management is carried out in accordance with Circular 66 detailing the implementation of a number of articles of Decree 79 dated July 31, 2014 detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting and the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting.

The leader of a Central Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department said that most fire extinguishers in Vietnam are imported from abroad. When they arrive in Vietnam, they must be inspected for the type and model of fire prevention and fighting equipment, and for technical parameters related to the quality of the equipment. Specifically, competent authorities such as the Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), the Director of the Provincial Fire Prevention and Fighting Department or some units authorized by the Ministry of Public Security will check the origin, production time, serial number and technical parameters of the equipment, check the type and model of the equipment and conduct experiments with about 5% of the equipment. If the results are satisfactory, an inspection certificate will be issued and the inspection stamp will be affixed.

Without national technical regulations, what is the basis for inspection? According to Mr. Tran Minh Dung, Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Science and Technology, when there are no national regulations, inspection is based on the standards of the manufacturer being applied. For example, fire extinguishers imported from country A must be manufactured according to the technical regulations issued by country A or according to the basic standards issued by the manufacturer itself. Inspection will follow those standards. However, the indicators in the manufacturer's standards must not be lower than the Vietnamese standards (the standards include technical indicators recommended for use, not mandatory as in the standards). According to Mr. Pho Duc Son, Director of the Vietnam Standards and Quality Institute, there are national standards for fire prevention and fighting equipment.

Colonel Dao Huu Thang, Deputy Director of the Fire Police Department, said that there are many types of fire extinguishers imported to Vietnam on the market today. Protective equipment and fire prevention and fighting equipment, when put into use and sold on the market, must be inspected by the Central and local Fire Police Departments. Quality products must have inspection stamps. When shopping and choosing fire extinguishers for use in cars, people should go to reputable stores, carefully check the products and buy fire extinguishers that have been inspected and have stamps.

According to Tienphong.vn

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