Should I remove the plastic cord holding the safety pin on my fire extinguisher?
Question
Fire extinguishers have a plastic safety cord holding in the safety pin. Should this be removed now or is it easy to break when needed?
Answer
The safety cord is there to hold the pin in place, which ensures the extinguisher doesn’t activate accidentally. It is fairly easy to break when deliberately pulling the pin out, what you would be doing in an emergency.
As a used extinguisher must be recharged or replaced, even if only partially used, it is best to leave the safety cord holding the pin in. This will make sure your extinguishers are only ever used when actually required, and be fully-charged ready for emergencies. It will also save you the cost of replacing or recharging them, and the work involved cleaning up the powder discharged.