6 ways to automate fire extinguisher checks

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues where the manager runs the monthly check themselves and wants the paper checklist on a phone instead.

What it is: A fire extinguisher check is a monthly visual inspection of every extinguisher on site, covered in one check. This version is the tick-list of 8 inspection points, a pass/fail result, and a notes field. It covers unit location and access, pins and seals intact, pressure gauge in the green, no visible damage, instructions legible, hose condition, and service dates in date.

In practice: A single-site pub checks its extinguishers on the first of each month. The manager works the list at each unit, marks pass or fail, notes that the kitchen CO2 is due its annual service next month, and the check is logged rather than remembered.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so the check covers the same eight points every time. The pass/fail makes the outcome explicit, and the notes field flags anything, like an approaching service date, that needs booking.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the monthly check is delegated to whoever is on the rota.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a guidance note at the top explaining what each inspection point means. It covers what's in the green on the gauge, what seal and pin intact looks like, what clear access means, and makes clear that the monthly visual check confirms the extinguisher is serviceable but does not replace the annual service by a competent engineer.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. What each inspection point means is spelled out, not assumed
2. Staff understand the monthly check is visual only, not the annual service
3. The check is consistent whoever runs it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the checklist, so a new staff member reads what to look for as they work, not in a training session weeks ago.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (what to look for; monthly check vs annual service)
• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Venues where the monthly check needs a name against it, signed at the time.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a signature captured at sign-off. The 8 inspection points, pass/fail, and notes field stay the same; the signature confirms who did the check and when they signed it.

In practice: A venue with a rotating manager schedule needs to know who signed off each month's check. Without a signature, the record just says the check was done. With it, the next day's manager can ask the person who signed if they want to discuss any of the notes flagged.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A signature naming who did the check, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the check was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. If a fire officer or auditor asks who signed off the check, you have the answer on the same record as the checklist.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want a photo record of each extinguisher checked, whether for an auditor, insurer, or their own proof of work.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a photo of each extinguisher, taken on completion. A tick says the check happened; a close photo of the pressure gauge and safety pin proves it was there, serviceable, and inspected on the day.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A close photo of the pressure gauge and safety pin, captured at the time
2. Proof the unit was in place and serviceable, not just ticked
3. A visual record that ties the check to a real unit and location

Why it works: A monthly tick is easy to complete from the office without walking the building. A photo of each unit proves someone actually went to it and looked at it.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the pressure gauge and pin

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Venues where the monthly photo gets taken but nobody reviews it. Multi-site groups where head office can't review every location's photos.

What it is: A photo-checked check is the simple checklist plus a close photo of the pressure gauge and safety pin that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about the image, set by you: does the photo show the pressure gauge in the green, with the safety pin and tag intact? If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets fixed before everyone moves on.

In practice: A three-site venue chain checks its extinguishers every month. The local manager takes a close photo of each unit's pressure gauge and safety pin. Poppi reads the photo: gauge in green, pins intact, tags present. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a busy month the photo shows a gauge in the yellow. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The photo shows the gauge not in the green"). The manager sorts it and retakes the photo while still on site.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the extinguishers that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at the monthly photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the inspector leaving. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next day can only record that the unit failed; Poppi catching it on the spot gets it fixed before everyone leaves.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the pressure gauge and pin
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With an alert if the monthly check is missed

Who it's for: Venues where the monthly deadline sometimes gets forgotten, especially those tracking multiple locations where a missed check creates compliance risk.

What it is: A late-check alert is the simple checklist plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the monthly deadline. If the checks aren't completed by month-end, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so the outstanding checks get done before the month closes. It watches the deadline, so it catches the check that quietly got forgotten, not just the one that was never started.

In practice: A venue with multiple locations needs each site's monthly fire check done. On a busy month, one location's check gets pushed back and quietly forgotten. With this version, if the check isn't finished by the end of the month, the team chat gets a message, so the site lead catches the forgotten check that month rather than the auditor finding it later.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A message in the team chat if the check isn't finished by the monthly deadline
2. A catch for the check that got forgotten, not just the one that was skipped entirely
3. A record of when the check should have been done, next to when it was
4. The manager finds out that month, not from a later audit

Why it works: The alert is tied to the monthly deadline, so an unfinished check raises its own hand. Nobody has to notice it's missing; the deadline does.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the check isn't finished by the monthly deadline)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple checklist plus one addition, so pick the additions your venue actually needs.

Do other people run the check?

If you do it yourself and know what to look for, the plain list is enough: #1. The moment rota staff run it, guidance needs to be on the screen: #2.

Does the check need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed it off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof, #4 adds a photo of each extinguisher.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Does the check have a deadline that sometimes gets missed?

If your venues sometimes forget the monthly deadline, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the check isn't finished by month-end.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same list.

Related workflows

• Fire alarm test - the weekly alarm test alongside the monthly extinguisher check
• Fire door check - keeping fire doors working
• Fire exit check - keeping escape routes clear

Conclusion

A monthly extinguisher check is a legal basic, and one of the easiest to let slip or complete from memory. A recorded check turns it into something you can prove and an auditor can review. Every version above is the simple checklist plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your venue needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your own fire extinguisher check on Pilla.