This spring, it’s more important than ever to check your boat’s marine fire extinguisher. A new federal regulation for fire extinguishers on motorized recreational boats will take effect on April 20. Extinguishers older than 12 years from the manufacture date are no longer considered good and serviceable and should be replaced with a newer fire extinguisher. This includes both disposable (non-rechargeable) and rechargeable fire extinguishers.
BoatUS Foundation does a great job of making confusing jargon more digestible. Here’s how they put it:
If you own a boat that is model year 2018 or newer, you may need to replace your fire extinguishers.
- In addition to meeting the carriage requirements for the correct number of extinguishers for the size of your boat, they must be labeled as 5-B or 20-B; extinguishers labeled with B-I or B-II only are no longer acceptable.
- Extinguishers must not be more than 12 years old according to the date of manufacture stamped on the bottle.
- You are only required get new ones if the extinguishers are no longer serviceable. Good serviceable conditions are as follows: the extinguisher has a pressure gauge reading or indicator it must be in the operable range or position; the lock pin is firmly in place; the discharge nozzle is clean and free of obstruction; the extinguisher does not show visible signs of significant corrosion or damage.
If you own a boat that is 2017 model year or older (between 1953-2017):
- You may keep your extinguishers labeled B-I and B-II, but
- Extinguishers must not be more than 12 years old according to the date of manufacture stamped on the bottle.
Visit boatus.org/fire-extinguishers for a simple flow chart on 'Do I need to purchase a new fire extinguisher?'