Appliance and Equipment Test and Inspection Register Standard

Purpose. Defines what must be recorded in the Appliance and Equipment Register, the test and inspection intervals for each class of equipment and the rules for tagging out and returning equipment to service.

1.Scope

The register covers every appliance and vehicle, pump, breathing apparatus set and cylinder, ladder, rescue tool, lifting and rope rescue equipment, chainsaw, floodboat and outboard, gas detector, radio, defibrillator and item of protective clothing issued to a member. Every item has a unique number, a location, an owner and a test schedule.

2.Test and inspection intervals

Appliances are checked at the start of each career shift and weekly at volunteer stations, and serviced at the workshops on the manufacturer's schedule. Breathing apparatus sets are checked after every use and monthly, and serviced annually. Rope rescue equipment is inspected before every use and every six months. Ladders are inspected quarterly and load tested annually. Gas detectors are bump tested before use and calibrated to the manufacturer's interval. Chainsaws are inspected before use and serviced every 50 hours.

• Appliances: each shift or weekly, and manufacturer service
• Breathing apparatus: after use, monthly, annual service
• Rope rescue: before use and six monthly
• Ladders: quarterly and annual load test
• Gas detectors: bump test before use, scheduled calibration

3.Recording

Every check, test, service and repair must be recorded against the item number with the date, the result, the person and any defect. A record that is not made at the time is not a record. The register must show, for any item, its current status of in service, out of service or tagged out.

4.Tagging out

An item that fails a check or is involved in an incident must be tagged out immediately with a danger tag, recorded as out of service in the register and removed from the appliance or store. Only the workshops or an authorised technician can return a tagged item to service, and the return must be recorded.

5.Review

Station officers and unit controllers must review their register entries monthly. The workshops must report overdue tests and services to the division managers each month and to the Chief Officer each quarter.

6.Current summary

The register currently holds 96 appliances and vehicles, 412 breathing apparatus sets, 1,380 cylinders, 118 ladders, 64 rope rescue kits, 88 chainsaws, 16 floodboats and 2,400 sets of structural protective clothing.