Is It Really Cheaper Buying a Fire Extinguisher on the Internet?

A 6-litre foam extinguisher on Amazon costs about 28 pounds. The same unit supplied, delivered, installed, and commissioned by a fire protection company costs more. Obviously. But what most people do not realise is that buying the cheap one online and then getting it to a compliant state ends up costing roughly the same. Sometimes more. The sticker price is a fraction of the real cost.

The True Cost of an Online Fire Extinguisher

BS 5306-3:2009 requires every fire extinguisher to be commissioned by a competent person before it enters service. That is not a recommendation. It is a requirement of the British Standard, and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires compliance with relevant standards as part of your general fire precautions. Buying an extinguisher online does not remove this obligation. It just means you now need to arrange commissioning separately.

Here is what the real numbers look like for a single extinguisher purchased online and then brought into compliance.

That commissioning call-out fee is the killer. It applies whether you have one extinguisher or ten. Buy a single replacement online and you are paying almost as much for the commissioning visit as you paid for the extinguisher itself. Even if you are replacing several units at once, the per-unit saving shrinks to a few pounds. Hardly worth the hassle.

The Liability Problem Nobody Mentions

Cost is one thing. Liability is another, and it is the part that should really make you think twice. Fire authorities investigate fires. When they do, they check whether the responsible person met their obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. That means proving your extinguishers were the correct type, positioned properly, and commissioned by someone competent.

Insurance companies do the same thing. A fire at your premises triggers a claim. The insurer sends a loss adjuster. If they find your fire safety equipment was not compliant, you have given them grounds to dispute the claim. That is not a hypothetical scenario. It happens.

The Fire Industry Association (FIA) publishes clear guidance on competency requirements. They recommend asking the following questions of any company that handles your fire extinguishers. These apply whether you are buying new units or having existing ones serviced.

What You Get from a Professional Supplier

A BAFE-registered fire extinguisher company handles everything in one visit. They deliver the correct extinguishers for your risk profile, mount them at the right height on the right walls, commission each one to BS 5306-3, fit appropriate signage, dispose of old units responsibly, and provide full documentation for your fire safety records.

So what does that mean in practice? The online price looks attractive in isolation. But once you add the hidden costs of commissioning, disposal, and the risk of voided warranties and insurance disputes, the saving evaporates. You end up paying similar money for a worse outcome: more hassle, less protection, and a compliance paper trail with gaps in it.

The sensible approach is to work with a single fire protection company that handles supply, installation, commissioning, and ongoing servicing. One relationship, one point of accountability, full compliance. No gaps.