Fire Equipment Services

Taking the guesswork out of safety and performance

Firefighters have no margin for error, so they cannot afford to gamble on the reliability of their equipment. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the U.S. fire service has suffered more than 100 on-duty firefighter fatalities on average over the last 10 years. That's why UL offers testing services that take the guesswork out of fire equipment safety and performance. UL evaluates a variety of equipment for compliance with the requirements of the appropriate National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, or with the requirements of the appropriate ULC standards.

Testing at the manufacturing facility:

• NFPA 1901 -- Automotive Fire Apparatus
• NFPA 1931 - Standard for Manufacturer's Design of Fire Department Ground Ladders
• CAN/ULC-S515-04 -- Automobile Fire Fighting Apparatus

Testing of equipment in service:

• NFPA 1911 -- Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance,Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Automotive Fire Apparatus (current edition)
  • Chapter 18-Performance Testing of Fire Pumps and Industrial Supply Pumps
  • Chapter 19-Performance Testing of Aerial Devices
• NFPA 1932 -- Standard on Use, Maintenance, and ServiceTesting of In-Service Fire Department Ground Ladders (current edition)
  • Includes horizontal bending, hardware and roof hook tests

How fire departments benefit from UL's testing

Proper functioning of fire equipment is mission critical for the successful operation of all fire departments and is critically important to the safety of firefighters. UL offers the broadest, most comprehensive fire equipment evaluations in the industry. Our testing not only determines compliance with all applicable standards, it can give you greater confidence in the reliability of your firefighting equipment. The UL Mark on fire equipment increases trust in the operational reliability of your fire department and boosts your chances for obtaining additional homeland security funding.

The UL advantage

• Standards development -- For more than 30 years, UL has set the standard for the fire equipment evaluations. UL has developed more than 70 standards covering fire equipment and is widely represented on NFPA standards committees for fire equipment and personal protective equipment.
• Highly educated and well-trained staff -- Every UL evaluation is conducted by expert staff members who are certified Level II technicians to the American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) guidelines.
• Wide spectrum and thorough service -- UL offers the most comprehensive fire equipment evaluations available today. UL's expert testing and inspection programs cover all types of fire equipment. UL's thoroughness is unmatched. All types of fire equipment are evaluated by UL for compliance with applicable requirements in the appropriate NFPA standards. Upon successfully complying with the requirements, UL issues a certificate of compliance in accordance with applicable NFPA standards.
• Brand recognition and integrity -- No other fire equipment testing organization in the United States has the same level of association with product safety, integrity and quality. UL has more than 100 years of expertise in the fire industry and has a long-established reputation within the industry for independent, objective and highly respected product testing.
• Convenience and specialized testing equipment -- UL's fire equipment testing services involve evaluation of new equipment at the manufacturer's facility before it's delivered to your department, as well as evaluation of in-service equipment at your fire station. UL has a fleet of fully equipped vans and mobile testing laboratories located throughout the United States to test fire equipment at local fire departments.
• Competitive price -- UL services are offered at very competitive prices and include travel and living expenses. The expertise of our staff and our state-of-the-art testing equipment mean that we deliver our testing services very efficiently. UL can test 500 feet of ground ladder and three to five pumpers at a single location in a single day.

Additional services

In addition to fire equipment testing, UL offers a full range of testing and certification services for personal protective equipment, such as gloves, boots, safety shoes, helmets, garments and protective eyewear, to certify compliance with NFPA and CAN/CSA standards.