What a fire extinguisher cabinet does
A fire extinguisher cabinet holds a portable extinguisher at a fixed, known spot on the wall. It protects the unit from bumps, tampering and weather, keeps it at a reachable height, and tells people where it is. That last job is the one most cabinets do poorly. A white box with a small decal disappears into a hallway, and it disappears completely when the lights go out or smoke drops visibility.
OSHA requires employers to mount, locate and identify extinguishers so they are readily accessible to employees (29 CFR 1910.157(c)(1)). A cabinet is one of the most common ways to meet the "locate and identify" part.
Mounting styles: surface, semi-recessed and recessed
| Style | How it mounts | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Surface mounted | The whole cabinet sits on the face of the wall. | Existing buildings, concrete or block walls, retrofits where you cannot open the wall. Watch the depth: the 2010 ADA Standards limit how far objects can protrude into a walkway. |
| Semi-recessed | Part of the tub sits inside the wall cavity and the trim and door stand out a few inches. | Corridors and public areas in new construction or remodels. A common way to keep projection within the ADA protruding-object limit. |
| Fully recessed | The tub sits inside the wall, with the door flush or nearly flush. | Finished spaces where nothing should project. Needs enough wall depth for the extinguisher. |
| Fire rated | A recessed or semi-recessed cabinet built to keep a fire rated wall's rating when the wall is cut. | Rated corridor and stair walls. Check the wall rating with your architect or fire marshal. |
For heights and ADA projection limits, see the fire extinguisher cabinet mounting height guide.
Sizing the cabinet to the extinguisher
Cabinets are sized by the extinguisher they hold, usually described by agent weight: 5 lb, 10 lb and 20 lb units are the most common in commercial buildings. Measure the extinguisher height, the cylinder diameter and the handle and hose clearance, then pick a cabinet with room to lift the unit out in one motion. A cabinet that pinches the hose or handle slows everything down at the worst moment.
Doors, glass and break-to-open latches
Doors come solid, with a full glass or acrylic panel, or with a vertical window. Some have locks or break-glass latches for areas where tampering is a problem. Whatever the door, people still need to see what is inside and get to it fast. That is why HighVis etches the label and instructions into the glass itself and lights them.
Where HighVis fits
HighVis is an illuminated fire extinguisher cabinet. Its door glass is etched with Pull Pin, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep and an extinguisher graphic, and an edge light makes the etching glow. It comes in two extinguisher color codes, red and yellow, and it adds a few things standard cabinets do not have:
- Battery backup, so the cabinet keeps working when AC power fails.
- A lit push-to-test switch (the SGLS Simple Touch Solution) that runs a timed battery test with one press.
- An AC powered door alarm that sounds when the door is opened.
Tell us your mounting style, wall type and extinguisher size when you request pricing, and we will match the cabinet to the project.