Ruth Das - 4th October 2022

Scam alert for business owners

In a recent incident in Subang Jaya, Daddy & Co were duped by a fake company offering to replace their fire extinguishers.

Even though the restaurant did not schedule any replacements, they went along with it thinking it was from the upper management. At the end of the scam, they were charged a total of RM220 and their new and not expired extinguishers were replaced with old ones that did not have any official logo.

According to New Straits Times, Malaysians have reported losses up to RM1.6 billion between 2019 to 2021 in online scams and frauds. While our mission is to Fireproof Malaysia, we are also extending our help in keeping your business safe from scam.

This article will answer your burning questions on how to prevent common fire safety scams that you might come across. By identifying the common retail scam at brick-and-mortar stores, business owners can be better prepared for these attacks and have appropriate prevention measures.

Let's get straight to the point, usually, these scams take place when the shop owners, (YOU!) are contacted by a fake company offering to replace your fire extinguisher.

Make sure you are always in contact with a registered local fire safety vendor (like us!) So when or if you've been contacted to replace the fire extinguisher or not, you can recheck with your authorized fire safety vendor if they have scheduled an appointment or not!

Now how do you know if your fire extinguisher needs to be serviced?

1. Yearly License Renewal

For business, it is important and a requirement that your Bomba License for your fire extinguisher is renewed every year. The expiry date is noted on the Bomba License sticker on the Fire Extinguisher. Be on the lookout if your replacement date is approaching!

Fire extinguishers can only have its bomba license renewed 30 days before the date of expiry. Anything before is not doable. But anything after can be renewed.

To understand why the Bomba License needs to be renewed, read here on everything you need to know about the Bomba License and why you need to service your fire extinguisher.

2. After each Usage

If your Fire Extinguisher has been used, it needs to be replaced regardless if there are still remains inside. This is because once the extinguisher is used, the pressure in the extinguisher is released and will slowly leak as time goes by. Therefore, a refill is needed after each use to maintain an optimum spread whenever there’s a fire.

3. Pressure meter is pointing in the red zone

When the needle on the meter is pointing in the red zone, it’s an indication that your extinguisher has dropped in pressure and needs to be serviced. The pressure in the extinguisher is vital in expelling the chemical to extinguish fire.

There are also possible consequences to not inspect and service your business fire extinguisher yearly, read here to learn what happens to your fire extinguisher if you don’t service annually.

After each renewal,

Make sure that the replaced fire extinguisher has the needle pointing in the green zone.
Make sure the fire extinguisher has a certified fire safety company brand logo and the maintenance record is also updated.

What should I know about the renewal process for my Bomba License?

Take note that the bomba license can only be issued when inspected by the bomba at their stations.
CAUTION! The renewal process is not immediate. The extinguisher needs to be inspected by the Bomba first before issuing a license and this usually takes a few days to process

Most importantly, always make sure to inform your staff not to entertain technicians, unscheduled replacements, or suppliers who enter their outlets without a scheduled appointment.

Also, When the service provider services the extinguisher, ensure that the service provider returns back the same fire extinguisher with the Bomba License address that matches the premises' address.

Stay Vigilant, Stay safe....

If you find that your fire extinguisher needs a service or is close to the expiry date, you can contact us through Whatsapp or book a servicing with us directly from our store and get your fire extinguishers picked-up and serviced in as quick as 10 days!

At Fire Fighter Industry, we not only manufacture but have also serviced millions of fire extinguishers for the Malaysian public.

Read here on the full reported scam incident in Subang Jaya.