Federal regulators issued a safety advisory on Nov. 23 to owners of extinguishers serviced by Statewide Fire Equipment Inc.
The regulators said they have evidence that Statewide used four other companies' identification numbers to show that the high-pressure fire extinguishers it serviced were safe to use. But regulators believe those tests were never conducted.
The high-pressure extinguishers are used by some school systems, fire departments and companies in southern Maine, although federal regulators aren't sure how many. They shouldn't be confused with the more-common dry chemical extinguishers, federal officials said.
But because a risk does exist, companies and institutions that have had high-pressure fire extinguishers serviced by Statewide are being urged to contact a licensed testing facility and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Statewide's owner, Dale Nason, declined to comment on the investigation, except to say that he was cooperating with the DOT. The business remains open in the interim, he said.
Fire extinguishers, welding tanks, dive tanks and other cylinders filled with high-pressure gas must be tested periodically by facilities licensed by the DOT. Once tested, they are imprinted with a special stamp that shows the date and the license number of the testing company.
Last summer, a licensed retester in Auburn, AAA Fire Extinguisher Co., had a cylinder come into its shop for service bearing its identification number. The problem was, AAA had never worked on that cylinder.
John Jalbert, AAA's owner, said the equipment used to test and certify high-pressure cylinders is costly, which is why only a handful of companies in Maine are licensed. He called the Research and Special Programs Administration, which began an investigation.
Anthony Lima, a hazardous materials enforcement specialist with the branch, said Statewide isn't a licensed facility. His investigation found that Statewide was using identification numbers issued to AAA and three other facilities: Simplex Grinnell LP of Westbrook; J.N. Johnson Sales & Services of Edina, Minn.; and Orange County Fire Protection of Orange, Calif.
Those companies haven't done work for Statewide, Lima said, and the government charges that Statewide marked the cylinders with their license numbers.
