Fire Extinguishers in Government Buildings

Summary

The request sought details on fire extinguisher maintenance contracts, quantities, and expenditure for Isle of Man government buildings. The Department of Infrastructure disclosed the current provider, contract dates, approximate extinguisher count, and financial data, but refused to provide inspection certificates due to cost and compilation exemptions.

Key Facts

• The current fire extinguisher maintenance contract was procured in May/June 2023.
• Unique Fire Protection Ltd is the successful bidder for the current contract.
• The contract is due to expire in June 2026.
• There are approximately 4,000 extinguishers across 220 government sites.
• P50 extinguishers and vehicle extinguishers are not covered by the main maintenance contract.

Data Disclosed

• 2025-02-20
• 2025-03-14
• May / June 2023
• June 2026
• 4,000
• 220
• 2016-2017
• 2017-2018
• 2018-2019
• 2019-2020
• 2020-2021
• 2021-2022
• 2022-2023
• 43,571.83
• 46,327.40
• 45,648.54
• 46,283.22
• 32,056.35
• 32,163.05
• 45,320.48

Exemptions Cited

• Section 8 (3)(c) - Substantial compilation or collation of information
• Section 11 (3) part f - Cost of searching for or preparing information exceeds prescribed amount

Original Request

Dear Sir/Madam I request information with regards to Fire Extinguishers in Government properties.  When was the contract for the maintenance of Portable Fire Fighting Equipment (Fire Extinguishers) last procured?  Who is the current provider of fire extinguisher servicing? When does the current contract expire and due for re procurement?  Roughly, how many extinguishers are in the Government estate? If permitted by FOI Regulations are you able to share Certificate of Inspections for sites (if available)? Does any government buildings use P50 Fire Extinguishers?  Is the contract holder also responsible for fire extinguisher maintenance on government vehicles, or is this subject to a separate procurement exercise? Are you able to provide a rough amount of expenditure on fire extinguisher servicing and new extinguishers (if available)? Clarification received 27/02/2025: "I seek the financial years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023." Many thanks.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 4461633 13 March 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 20 February 2025, which states:

"Dear Sir/Madam

I request information with regards to Fire Extinguishers in Government properties.

When was the contract for the maintenance of Portable Fire Fighting Equipment (Fire Extinguishers) last procured?

Who is the current provider of fire extinguisher servicing? When does the current contract expire and due for re procurement?

Roughly, how many extinguishers are in the Government estate?

If permitted by FOI Regulations are you able to share Certificate of Inspections for sites (if available)?

Does any government buildings use P50 Fire Extinguishers?

Is the contract holder also responsible for fire extinguisher maintenance on government vehicles, or is this subject to a separate procurement exercise?

Are you able to provide a rough amount of expenditure on fire extinguisher servicing and new extinguishers (if available)?”

Clarification received 27/02/2025:

"I seek the financial years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023."

Our response to your request is as follows:

The current contract for the maintenance of Fire Extinguishers within Government buildings was last procured in May / June 2023.

The successful bidder on that occasion was Unique Fire Protection Ltd.

The current contract is due to expire in June 2026 at which time it will be re-advertised and reprocured.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance, complying with your request for information would require the Department to undertake substantial compilation or collation of information that it holds. Which the Department is not required to do under Section 8 (3)(c).

There are approximately 4,000 extinguishers spread across approximately 220 sites. It is not possible to share the Certificates of Inspection as this would be impractical - under section 11 (3) part f – the public authority estimates that the cost of searching for or preparing the (or both) the information to give to the applicant would exceed the amount prescribed in the regulations made for the purposes of this paragraph.

P50 Extinguishers are not covered by the existing maintenance contract. However, a small number of sites may have them in place if they have been requested and procured by the building occupier.

Similarly, the contract does not cover maintenance of vehicle fire extinguishers. Expenditure on fire extinguisher servicing and purchase in the years specified is detailed in the table below. Please note that these figures do not include any expenditure outside of contract e.g. by building occupiers, for buildings not maintained by DOI, or any expenditure as part of a specific construction contract.

Financial Year Expenditure (£) 2016-2017 43,571.83 2017-2018 46,327.40 2018-2019 45,648.54 2019-2020 46,283.22 2020-2021 32,056.35 2021-2022 32,163.05 2022-2023 45,320.48

Please quote the reference number 4461633 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.