CE marking fulfils an important role to ensure the products we use are safe. A CE mark indicates that the manufacturer or importer has taken sole responsibility to ensure that the product meets the requirements of any applicable European Directive or Regulation.
To comply with many directives, Notified bodies are required to evaluate the product and/or manufacturer and provide a certificate. The level of evaluation depends on the criticality of the product.
Many fire products used in buildings fall under the scope of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) which typically mandates compliance with the performance requirements of the applicable European product standard.
However, there is no specific European directive for fire products. This means if any fire product falls outside the scope of any of the current directives, there is no mandatory requirement for it to have undergone any conformity assessment to ensure that it performs correctly and safely.
To confuse things further, some products – such as portable fire extinguishers may be marked with a CE, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it has been checked to ensure that it would be effective on a fire.
It simply means that the product complies with the directive that applies to it. In the case of portable fire extinguishers, the only applicable directive is the PED or Pressure Equipment Directive.
Fire extinguishers function by the action of internal pressure. The propellant is either contained in the main body or deployed from a gas cartridge at the moment of activation. In either design the extinguisher is pressurised therefore PED (CE) certification is important to ensure that the extinguisher doesn’t rupture in that crucial moment - when you need to use it. But it doesn’t ensure that the extinguisher can put out a fire.
In the absence of a directive for fire, voluntary certification marks can demonstrate the performance of a portable fire extinguisher. To achieve the BSI Kitemark, they must be fully tested in accordance with BS EN 3-7:2004+A1:2007.
For example: clause 7 ensures that discharge characteristics such as the duration of operation and maximum allowable amount of extinguisher remaining after discharge. The mechanism of an extinguisher should distribute the extinguishing agent onto the fire effectively. It’s no use if the discharge is weak and half the extinguishant is left remaining in the cylinder. Clause 10 checks that operating elements are suitably robust and useable in an emergency. If the safety device cannot be removed the extinguisher is useless. And of course, tests on real fires in accordance with clause 15.
These fires are several times the magnitude of anything the extinguisher would be expected to tackle in the real world.
Full compliance with EN 3-7:2004+A1:2007, extinguishant analysis, CE marking and factory assessments are the main components of Kitemark certification, which ensures that a fire extinguisher is capable to fulfil its intended purpose – to extinguish a fire.
Testing - CE marking Vs. the BSI Kitemark:
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CE (PED) |
Kitemark |
| Pressure safety |
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| Marking |
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| Retention of propellant |
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| Resistance to corrosion |
(1) |
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| General requirements for a fire extinguisher |
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| Fire performance |
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| Discharge characteristics |
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| Suitability for use on electrical fires (if claimed) |
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| Requirements for components (e.g. operating elements) |
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| Pressure indication |
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| Extinguishant analysis |
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| (1) PED 2014/68/EU Annex I item 2.6 requires adequate provision for corrosion protection or allowance of the pressure vessel. |
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Author: Robert Hearty
Team Leader – Fire, EMEA
