Tool
Build your AS 1851 fire equipment service schedule
Tick the fire safety equipment you have (extinguishers, hose reels, exit lighting, fire doors, a detection system) and this tool builds a 12 month planner from AS 1851:2012's routine service intervals: six monthly extinguisher and hose reel checks, monthly detection panel tests, and yearly full tests, with AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 covering exit lighting.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
The service intervals
| Equipment | Task | Every | Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portable fire extinguishers | Routine service: accessibility, pressure gauge, hose and pin condition, anti tamper seal; CO2 units are weighed | 6 months | AS 1851:2012 | |
| Fire hose reels | Six monthly visual check: access, signage, hose condition, reel operation, water supply and valve | 6 months | AS 1851:2012 | |
| Fire hose reels | Yearly functional test: hose run out to full length, flow and pressure tested, moving parts lubricated | 12 months | AS 1851:2012 | A five yearly service adds a full pressure test of the hose itself. |
| Emergency and exit lighting | Six monthly battery discharge test for the rated 90 minute duration | 6 months | AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 | |
| Emergency and exit lighting | Yearly inspection and cleaning of fittings and reflective surfaces | 12 months | AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 | |
| Fire doors | Routine inspection of clearances, closer, latching and hardware | 6 months | QDC MP 6.1, Schedule 1 | Some building classifications only need a yearly check under Schedule 1; confirm your class before relying on six months. |
| Fire detection and alarm system | Monthly test of the fire indicator panel, its battery backup and a sample of manual call points | Monthly | AS 1851:2012 | |
| Fire detection and alarm system | Yearly test of every detector using simulated smoke or heat | 12 months | AS 1851:2012 |
How to use it
- Tick every fire safety item you have on site: extinguishers, hose reels, exit lighting, fire doors or a detection and alarm system.
- Pick the month you want the planner to start from, usually the month of the last full service.
- Read down the table the tool builds: a marked month means that task's interval falls due again that far from your start month.
- Copy the due months into your ServiceM8 recurring job or calendar. If a task was actually done partway through a cycle, count forward from that real date instead of the planner's start month.
Why the interval matters more than the annual inspection
Fire protection equipment does not stay compliant by itself. AS 1851:2012 sets the routine service intervals that keep extinguishers, hose reels, exit lighting, fire doors and detection systems in a state where they will actually work in a fire, and most of those intervals are shorter than the annual building inspection most owners think about. An extinguisher checked once a year can sit under gauge pressure or blocked by stock for eleven of those twelve months.
The planner below exists so a service technician can hand the owner something more useful than a standard number: a list of months when each item is actually due.
How the planner works
Pick the equipment you have on site and the month you want the planner to start from, usually the month of the last full service. The tool then marks every month in the next year when that item's routine service falls due, based on the interval published for it. A monthly task is marked every month, a six monthly task twice, and a yearly task once.
This is a planning aid built from the published intervals, not a substitute for the standard itself or for reading the actual service report against each item.
What to check before you trust a due month
The planner assumes you are starting, or resetting, the cycle from the month you select. If an item was actually serviced partway through the year, for example an extinguisher tested in March rather than at the planner's September start, count forward twelve months from March instead of from the planner's own start date.
The table also does not cover every fire protection asset: sprinkler systems, fire pumps, hydrants and building occupant warning systems sit outside the five equipment types listed here, and fire door frequency depends on the building's classification under Queensland's QDC MP 6.1, so confirm that before relying on the default six monthly figure shown.
Sources
- AS 1851:2012 sets a six monthly routine service for portable fire extinguishers, covering accessibility, the pressure gauge, hose and pin condition and the anti tamper seal, with CO2 units also weighed. Complete Pumps and Fire Protection, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- AS 1851:2012 sets a monthly test of the fire indicator panel, its battery backup and a sample of manual call points, and a yearly test of every detector using simulated smoke or heat. Complete Pumps and Fire Protection, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- AS 1851:2012 sets a six monthly visual check for fire hose reels (access, signage, hose condition, reel operation and water supply) and a yearly functional test that runs the hose out to its full length and checks flow and pressure. Complete Pumps and Fire Protection, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 sets a six monthly 90 minute battery discharge test for emergency and exit lighting, plus a yearly inspection and cleaning of every fitting and its reflective surfaces. Horsell Electrical, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Queensland's QDC MP 6.1 guideline puts fire door routine inspection frequency in Schedule 1, at six monthly or yearly depending on the building's classification. Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning, QDC MP 6.1 guideline, checked 25 Sep 2026.