Question:
Fire Extinguisher Inspections Where do I have my fire extinguishers inspected and tagged per USCG requirements?

Answer: -Look in the Yellow pages under "fire extinguishers---sales and service" The people that refill- inspect them... As an added note, when you're there, buy an extra one.... or two...or six... Fire onboard ranks right up at the top of the list for Scariest happenings at sea.. A friend, (125 foot M/Y) never made the Med this year, because of engine room fire and a tow back to stateside from the mid atlantic.. Luckily he had a fire control system in the engine room, or he / they wouldn't be around to tell the tale.

-Basically, the inspection consists of looking at the pressure gauge and the date on the tag. If the pressure is low, or if the date has passed, you are supposed to get the extinguisher recharged. Unfortuantely, if you have extinguishers with plastic fittings rather than metal fittings, you may have trouble finding someone who will recharge them. And almost no one will guarantee the recharge. The problem is that sometimes the plastic units leak after they are reassembled, and so won't hold the charge. This creates the interesting problem that if you have plastic units, the CG essentially requires you to throw them away and buy new ones every so often. This apparently has nothing to do with the usefulness of the extinguisher.