Early knowledge about upcoming changes to standards enables Falck to ensure that products from their subcontractors comply with future requirements.

Every year, numerous products are imported to Denmark and the EU, but even though the products are CE marked, it is not always a guarantee that they comply with current EU regulations. At Falck Teknik, this is something they pay extra attention to. Therefore, Falck’s portable fire extinguishers – produced by various overseas subcontractors - are sent to FORCE Technology’s laboratory for test and approval of their compliance with the standards EN3 and DS 2320

Bo Kurt Nielsen, Technical and Production Manager at Falck Teknik, says: ”We get FORCE Technology to check our portable fire extinguishers as we must be 100 % sure that the products we put on the market comply with the EU standards.”

Based on these tests and approval, Falck’s portable fire extinguishers achieve a certificate and the right to be labelled with the DS marking. The same process applies for other DS marked portable fire extinguishers.

Certified hand fire extinguishers, on the Danish market, must be inspected annually in accordance with the DS 2320 standard. Photo: usage kindly allowed by Falck Teknik.

Knowing about regulatory requirements and actual conditions

FORCE Technology has in-depth knowledge of the standards for portable fire extinguishers and performs type testing on all certified portable fire extinguishers in Denmark to ensure that the fire extinguishers meet the requirements of the standards and comply with both Danish and European regulations.

In addition, FORCE Technology inspects filling stations for certified portable fire extinguishers – including Falck Teknik’s filling stations – to verify that the fire extinguishing products and the employees at the filling stations comply with the applicable regulations and regulatory requirements.

FORCE Technology’s specialists update their knowledge about standards for fire extinguishing equipment through their active participation in the standardisation committee S-008 ’Fire extinguishing equipment’. Being an independent third-party body, who inspects and verifies fire extinguishing equipment, FORCE Technology’s input to the standardisation committee S-008 is important. This input help to ensure that current and future new standards will also work in practice.

Advice about standards

The fact that FORCE Technology’s employees are involved in the standardisation work means that they have updated knowledge in the field. This is of great importance to Falck Teknik and other certified companies that are members of the security industry - an industry for fire extinguishing equipment in Denmark.

”FORCE Technology has important knowledge from their standardisation work, which means that we can exchange knowledge with each other about standards for portable fire extinguishers, and e.g. debate how we can achieve better fire classes,” says Bo Kurt Nielsen.

Better prepared

For Bo Kurt Nielsen it makes a difference to know about new standards and requirements as early as possible as it generates a better dialogue with their subcontractors:

”It is important for us to be at the forefront of developments with regards to standards. By knowing about new requirements and new standards, I am better prepared in the dialogue with suppliers. It means that at an early stage, I can say to the suppliers that their products must comply with the new requirements and that they must make sure to test accordingly.”