International Fire

I opened a new business a few months ago and despite many contractors on the job, nobody seemed to know the exact requirements to fit within City laws and our building’s terms. International Fire came to the rescue, provided honest and thorough advice on what had to happen and made it happen – with enthusiasm, quietude, and efficacy. Alan was our project coordinator and kept me updated throughout the day and every day on the advancement and what I’d need to do to enable it, always with enough notice. I have spent days side to side with their team in my showroom and they did a fantastic job at staying as discreet as possible with customers and leaving a clean place every night. Given the tasks at hand, it was no small feat!

I called International Fire to find out the fees for an annual maintenance for 2 fire extinguishers ($ 18 a piece ***please note that there are different prices for different sizes of fire extinguishers***).
Turns out that fire extinguishers over 12 years old can’t be certified. So, I purchased 2 new ones.
Theresa was really helpful, we’ll be back next year for our annual maintenance.
Thanks International Fire!

We used International Fire to outfit a multifamily residential building with extinguishers. Mike was available to make an appointment within a couple of days, came on time and quickly assessed the building’s needs. He gave a price that seemed completely reasonable, and explained the various costs associated with installation. One of Mike’s employees checked in by phone a few months later to see if we were satisfied and to make sure we knew Int’l Fire was available to check and recharge our extinguishers on an annual basis. What could have been (a) a hassle or (b) expensive wasn’t either. We highly recommend.

do NOT hire these guys. if you want someone to come in and just tear out your sprinklers and replace them without thinking about what they’re doing, then Mike at international fire is your man.
i updated all the sprinklers in my commercial building as part of a standard upgrade cycle. apparently, the original sprinklers had been installed too close to the ceiling light. no worries, he doesn’t care, just swap it out!
all well and good, except 3 weeks later it goes off because it’s too close to the light. Dude, really? You’re an expert at this – why did you put the sprinkler there if it was a hazard?
30,000 gallons a minute and $ 50K later in damage, he refuses to acknowledge any failing in putting the sprinkler in a position he knew from experience to be too close to the light, and has stuck me with the entire $ 2500 deductible.
real class act. i strongly encourage you to hire mike if you want the job done really half-​assed and with no expertise or responsibility.

Well run business! When I called to make an appointment to have a fire extinguisher installed in my store, the receptionist was nice, friendly and immediately made an appointment for the following workday at 10AM. — The installer showed up on time, was personable, and nice and offered to mount my extinguisher as well. Great service.

You can save a few bucks buying your extinguishers at a discount store but be aware that even if it is a brand new one the SFFD requires that it be dumped, refilled and tagged. Depending on size and where you take it this can cost you as much as your cost for your bargain priced fire extinguisher. Cheap extinguishers with plastic handles and/​or internal parts can not be refilled.
SFFD fire code requires that extinguishers be serviced annually and a service tag attached.
After 10 years from the year of manufacture stamped on it the extinguisher can only be refilled and tagged if passes high pressure pressure tested. Procedure is called «hydro-​testing». This is rarely cost effective.
If you buy an extinguisher from a «big box» retailer it will most likely be purchased with some portion of its useful life already taken while it went through distribution channels and warehousing. I have seen them on store shelves as old as 5 years.
International Fire is honest. On my last trip I was uncertain if one of the four extinguishers purchased was stolen from my car or left of there counter. When I called the next day the owner (Mike G) even offered to drop the forgotten extinguisher by my house.
Now that is integrity and great service .
Hints — A 10 pound (medium extinguisher) gives you a lot more bang for the buck then the smaller 5 pound (small). They are also less likely to be stolen from hallways due to larger weight and bulk. They are still small and light enough a small person or child can handle them easily .
Permanently marking your name and address discourages theft. I never put extinguishers in one of those cases requiring that the glass be broken to reach it. Most people are hesitant to break glass and every second counts in a fire. If you feel you must put it behind glass then provide a piece of pipe on a small chain attached the fire extinguisher box for breaking the glass without injury.