The following is intended to be a short form key point overview of the requirements contained in the Fire Fighting Chemicals Group Standard 2021 - HSR002573; the legislative instrument (i.e., the law) covering firefighting chemicals in New Zealand.
It has been written to provide information that is relevant to Hand Operated Fire Fighting Equipment (HOFFE) containing C6 Aqueous Film Forming Foams (C6-AFFF) only. This includes portable and wheeled foam fire extinguishers as well as fire hose reels with foam making capabilities.
While every care has been taken in the production of this document, readers are advised to make themselves familiar with the full provision of HSR002573.
USE
❱ You can still use HOFFE that contains C6-AFFF up until 3 December 2025. At which point it must be removed from service and correctly disposed of.
❱ Use includes operation of the extinguisher in an emergency as well as testing and maintenance activities. It does not include training.
❱ Emergency means an event requiring an immediate action to protect and preserve life, prevent injury, or avoid damage to property, and includes a fire (or an alarm of fire) or a hazardous substances emergency (i.e., a spill).
REPLACEMENT
❱ A number of approved Synthetic Fluorine Free Foams (SFFF) are available for use in similar applications to AFFF.
❱ However, it should be noted that SFFF agents are not ‘drop-in’ replacements for AFFF agents. For fire extinguishers, the performance rating of a given size of extinguisher may be different:
9L AFFF 4A | 30B
9L SFFF 4A | 20B
❱ Noting the points above, the Fire Protection Association NZ (FPANZ):
- Does not support agent-only replacements; and
- Recommends the complete replacement of the equipment; and
- Recommends that members support their clients to prepare a replacement schedule based on:
(a) replacement of any AFFF fire extinguishers due for pressure testing prior to 3 December 2025; and
(b) replacement of any other HOFFE utilising AFFF no later than 3 December 2025.
Original document can be found here
