IS 2190:2010 is the Indian Standard (BIS) for selection, installation and maintenance of first-aid fire extinguishers - code o practice. IS 2190 provides comprehensive guidelines for the selection, installation, and maintenance of first-aid (portable) fire extinguishers. It outlines the suitability of different extinguishers based on fire classes and establishes strict schedules for routine inspection, hydrostatic testing, refilling, and end-of-life replacement.
Selection, Installation and maintenance of first-aid fire extinguishers - Code o Practice
Key parameters for selection, installation height, travel distance, area coverage, maintenance intervals, and testing pressures for first-aid fire extinguishers.
| Reference | Value | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Max Travel Distance (Class A/D Fires)— For wood, paper, metal fires. | 15 m | Cl. 7.1.1 |
| Max Travel Distance (Class B Fires)— For flammable liquid fires. | 15 m | Cl. 7.1.1 |
| Max Travel Distance (Class C/Electrical Fires)— For gaseous and electrical fires. | 15 m | Cl. 7.1.1 |
| Installation Height (Top of Extinguisher)— Measured from the floor to the top of the extinguisher. | 1000 mm | Cl. 7.1.2 |
| Min Gross Weight for Floor Mounting— Extinguishers heavier than 15 kg should be floor mounted. | > 15 kg | Cl. 7.1.2 |
| Min Extinguishers per Floor— Minimum one 2A rated extinguisher for every 1000 m² or part thereof. | 1 | Cl. 6.1.1 |
| Coverage per 2A Unit (Light Hazard)— One 2A rated extinguisher for every 600 m² with 15 m travel distance. | 600 m² | Cl. C-2.1 |
| Coverage per 2A Unit (Ordinary Hazard)— One 2A rated extinguisher for every 300 m² with 15 m travel distance. | 300 m² | Cl. C-3.1 |
| Extinguisher Body Colour— Applies to all extinguisher types. | Post Office Red or Pillar Box Red | Cl. 5.1.1 |
| Colour Band: Water— For Class A fires. | Signal Red | Table 1 |
| Colour Band: Foam— For Class A & B fires. | Cream | Table 1 |
| Colour Band: Dry Powder (ABC/BC)— For Class A, B, C & Electrical fires. | Blue | Table 1 |
| Colour Band: Carbon Dioxide (CO2)— For Class B, C & Electrical fires. | Black | Table 1 |
| Colour Band: Clean Agent— Environmentally friendly gaseous agents. | Green | Table 1 |
| Inspection Frequency— Visual check for location, access, pressure gauge, and any damage. | Monthly | Cl. 9.2.1 |
| Maintenance Frequency— Detailed inspection by a trained person. | Yearly | Cl. 9.3 |
| Hydrostatic Test Interval (Water, Foam, DCP)— For stored pressure and cartridge type extinguishers. | 3 years | Table 2 |
| Hydrostatic Test Interval (CO2, Clean Agent)— For high-pressure cylinders. | 5 years | Table 2 |
| Hydrostatic Test Pressure (Water, Foam, DCP)— Whichever is higher. P_service is service pressure. | 3.5 MPa or 2 x P_service | Table 2 |
| Hydrostatic Test Pressure (CO2)— Test pressure for Carbon Dioxide type extinguishers. | 25 MPa | Table 2 |
| Max Service Life (Refillable)— From the date of manufacture. | 10 years | Cl. 9.5.1 |
| Refilling Requirement— Applies even if only partially discharged. | Immediately after use | Cl. 9.6.1 |
BIM-relevant code. See the BIM Hub for ISO 19650, IFC, and LOD/LOIN frameworks used alongside it.
IS 2190 is the code of practice for selection, installation and maintenance of first-aid fire extinguishers in buildings and other premises. It tells the building designer, owner, or fire safety officer which type, what size, and where to place portable fire extinguishers to meet life-safety requirements.
Use IS 2190 for any: - Residential apartment building (≥ 15 m height — mandatory per NBC 2016 Part 4) - Commercial buildings (offices, retail, warehouses, hotels) - Industrial premises - Educational and institutional buildings - Public assembly buildings (cinemas, restaurants, places of worship) - Government and statutory buildings - Vehicles (per separate transport regulations)
IS 2190 is mandatory under: - NBC 2016 Part 4 Fire and Life Safety — applies to all buildings above specified height/use thresholds - State Fire Service Acts and Rules — every state has fire NOC requirements citing IS 2190 - Factories Act 1948 + State Factory Rules — for industrial premises - Insurance / occupancy certificate requirements
Does NOT cover: - Fixed automatic systems (sprinklers, gas suppression, foam) — see IS 15105, IS 15493, NFPA equivalents - Hydrant systems and hose reels — see IS 884, IS 5290, IS 5714
Fires are classified by fuel type; choose the extinguisher that suits the predominant fire risk in the protected area.
| Class | Fuel | Description | Recommended extinguisher (IS 2190) | |---|---|---|---| | A | Solid combustibles | Wood, paper, cloth, plastics | Water (pressurised), foam (AFFF), ABC dry powder | | B | Flammable liquids | Petrol, diesel, oil, paint, solvents | CO₂, foam (AFFF), BC/ABC dry powder | | C | Flammable gases | LPG, methane, hydrogen | Dry powder (BC or ABC); shut off gas supply first | | D | Combustible metals | Magnesium, sodium, aluminium powder | Specialised dry powder (Class D specific — not BC/ABC) | | E (or 'electrical') | Live electrical equipment | Switchgear, motors, electronics | CO₂ (preferred), ABC dry powder | | F (or K) | Cooking oils/fats | Kitchen deep-fryer fires | Wet chemical (potassium acetate based) |
Key chemistry of common types: - Water (Class A) — cooling and smothering; cheap; useless on B/C/E - Foam (AFFF) — water + film-forming surfactant; works on A and B - CO₂ (BC, electrical) — displaces oxygen; clean (no residue); poor on A; risk of cold burn / asphyxiation in confined spaces - Dry powder (BC or ABC) — chemical chain interruption; works across multiple classes (ABC = A+B+C+E); leaves residue (corrosive on electronics) - Wet chemical (kitchen fires) — saponifies hot fat; forms barrier film - Class D specific — graphite, copper, NaCl based; very specific to metal type
Travel distance (max walking distance from any point to nearest extinguisher):
| Hazard class | Class A | Class B | |---|---|---| | Light hazard (offices, residential, hotels) | 22.5 m | 22.5 m | | Ordinary hazard (commercial, retail, mixed-use) | 22.5 m | 15.0 m | | Higher hazard (industrial, warehousing, garages) | 15.0 m | 9.0 m |
Mounting height: - Top of extinguisher handle: ≤ 1.5 m above floor (so reachable by average adult) - Bottom: ≥ 100 mm above floor (so visible / not damaged by mopping) - Sign / arrow indicating extinguisher location: clearly visible from access path
Quantity per floor / area (per NBC 2016 Annex E and IS 2190 Table 1): - Residential / hotel: minimum 1 × 9 kg ABC powder per 600 m² floor area, or per separate access zone - Office / commercial: 1 × 9 kg ABC + 1 × 4.5 kg CO₂ per 600 m² floor area - Industrial (light): based on hazard class and travel distance - Industrial (heavy): designed by competent fire engineer - Kitchen (commercial): 1 × wet-chemical Class F at every cooking station + 1 × ABC at exit
Specific high-risk zones (always provide extinguisher): - Electrical room: CO₂ + ABC powder - Server / data centre: CO₂ (clean agent — won't damage electronics) - Generator / fuel storage: foam + ABC powder - Boiler / heat-treatment area: ABC powder + CO₂ - Parking (basement / structured): foam + ABC powder per NBC 2016 Part 4 - Hazardous chemical storage: type-specific (Class D for metals, etc.)
Rating examples (capacity per typical extinguisher): - 9 kg ABC dry powder: 4A 144B C — covers ~50 m² for Class A, ~12 m² for Class B - 4.5 kg CO₂: 89B — Class B and electrical - 9 L AFFF foam: 13A 144B — A and B
Visual inspection (monthly — by occupier): - Pressure gauge in green band (pressurised types) - Seal intact - Hose / nozzle clear of obstruction - No physical damage / corrosion - Mounting bracket secure - Location signage visible - Last service tag within validity
Service / discharge test (annual — by approved agency): - External examination (corrosion, dent, hose, nozzle) - Pressure check (gauge or weighing for CO₂ — discharge if loss > 10 % of nominal) - For powder/foam: discharge test optional / intervals per NBC 2016 and supplier datasheet - Service tag updated with date and serviceman name
Hydraulic test of cylinder (every 5 years — for water/foam; every 10 years — for CO₂): - Cylinder pressure-tested per IS 7285 (high-pressure test to 1.5× working pressure) - Failed cylinder destroyed; not refilled
Recharge after use: - Even partial discharge requires full refill + new tamper seal - Replace seal, apply new service date tag
Replacement: - Powder extinguishers: typically 8-10 years lifespan (powder cake forms and reduces effectiveness) - CO₂: 10-15 years if tested OK - Foam: 5-8 years (chemical degradation) - Water: 5-10 years
Records: - Maintain extinguisher register: location, type, capacity, manufacturer, mfg date, service dates, hydraulic test dates, refill dates - Available for fire department audit
1. Wrong type for the protected risk. Water on a kitchen oil fire spreads it; CO₂ on Class A wood fire only briefly suppresses; ABC powder in a server room ruins electronics. Match type to predominant fire class in the room. 2. Travel distance violated. A 30 m corridor with one extinguisher at the far end fails IS 2190. Verify by walking the route from worst case to nearest extinguisher. 3. Mounted too high or hidden. Behind a door, above a high shelf, in a locked cupboard — none of these meet 'visible and accessible'. 4. Annual service skipped. Most building maintenance contracts include annual extinguisher service; many don't enforce. Service tag must be current within 12 months. 5. Pressure gauge in red zone. Indicates pressure loss; extinguisher unreliable. Service immediately. 6. Cylinder hydraulic test overdue. Cylinder may rupture under discharge pressure; serious safety hazard. Schedule per IS 7285 cycle. 7. No fire drill / training of occupants. Owning extinguishers without trained users is theatre. Schedule annual drill; train at least one person per shift in extinguisher use. 8. Local refill rather than authorised refill agency. Powder substitution, partial fill, missing seal — all non-compliant. Use BIS-licensed refill stations only. 9. No labelling of extinguishers in non-English-only sites. IS 2190 recommends pictograms (universal) plus local-language labelling. 10. Wet-chemical extinguisher missing in commercial kitchens. Restaurant kitchen fires (Class F) are the highest property-loss claim category in commercial buildings; ABC powder doesn't suppress reignition. Always provide wet-chemical at every cooking station. 11. Confusion between 'BC' and 'ABC' powder. BC works only on B and C; ABC also works on A. Most modern installations standardise on ABC for general use. 12. No coordination with sprinkler / hydrant systems. IS 2190 portable extinguishers are *first-aid* (early-stage fires). Larger fires require fixed systems per NBC 2016 Part 4 — these systems don't replace each other.
Defence-in-depth fire strategy for a building:
1. Prevention — material selection (low fire-load), electrical safety per IS 732 and IS 3043, no-smoking zones, hot-work permits. 2. Detection — smoke / heat detectors per IS 2189; manual call points; control panel with monitoring. 3. First-aid response — portable extinguishers per IS 2190 (this code) — for incipient fires. 4. Compartmentation — fire-rated walls, doors, dampers (per NBC 2016 Part 4) to limit spread. 5. Active suppression — sprinkler systems (IS 15105) for area protection; gas suppression for special hazards (server, switchgear). 6. Manual firefighting — internal hydrants + hose reels (IS 3844), external hydrants, fire pump room, water tank for fire (IS 9668). 7. Egress — fire stairs, exit signs, emergency lighting (per NBC 2016 Part 4). 8. External response — fire department access, hydrant connection, lift for fire-fighters. 9. Drills, training, signage — occupant readiness. 10. Maintenance regime — periodic servicing of all the above.
IS 2190 portable extinguishers are the first 30 seconds of fire response — a trained occupant catches the fire when it's a single bin or single appliance, before it requires sprinkler activation or fire department response. A small fire suppressed at this stage saves orders of magnitude more value than it costs to maintain the extinguisher network.
| Parameter | IS Value | International | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Travel Distance (Class A) | 15 m | 75 ft (22.9 m) | NFPA 10-22 |
| Max. Mounting Height (Top) | 1.5 m from floor | 5 ft (1.52 m) for units ≤40 lbs | NFPA 10-22 |
| Cooking Oil Fire Classification | Class F | Class K | NFPA 10-22 |
| Hydrostatic Test Interval (Water Type) | 3 years | 5 years | NFPA 10-22 |
| Min. Floor Clearance for Mounting | Not specified | 4 in. (102 mm) | NFPA 10-22 |
| Extinguisher Rating System | Performance-based for A & B, e.g., '2A', '21B' | Performance-based for A & B, e.g., '2-A:10-B:C' | NFPA 10-22 |
| Max. Travel Distance (Class B) | 15 m | 30 ft (9.1 m) to 50 ft (15.2 m) depending on rating | NFPA 10-22 |