Florida Fire Extinguisher License: Licensee vs Permittee, and How to Apply

Florida Fire Extinguisher License: Licensee vs Permittee, and How to Apply

Servicing portable fire extinguishers in Florida is regulated work. Under F.S. 633.304 it is unlawful to engage in the business of servicing, repairing, recharging, testing, marking, inspecting, installing or hydrotesting a fire extinguisher except in conformity with that section. The Division of State Fire Marshal issues two credentials for that work, and most people need to know which one is theirs before anything else.

Two credentials, sat by individuals

Both are sat by a person, not a company. The licensee is the business qualifier: the license attaches to a business location, carries the insurance requirement, and makes that person responsible for supervising every job. The permittee is the technician on the truck. A permittee's work is limited to work no more extensive than the employing or contractually related licensee's.

License classes

F.S. 633.304 sets the dealer classes by what the business may do:

• Class A: service, recharge, repair, install or inspect all types of fire extinguishers, and hydrotest all types.
• Class B: the same, including recharging carbon dioxide units, but not CO₂ hydrotesting.
• Class C: no CO₂ recharging and no CO₂ hydrotesting.
• Class D: pre-engineered fire extinguishing systems (a separate exam family).

How to apply

FAC 69A-21 sets the process. In order:

1. Apply to the Regulatory Licensing Section (Bureau of Fire Prevention, Tallahassee) with the application and exam fees. A permit application also needs two passport-size color photographs and a copy of your driver license or state ID.
2. Receive a letter of authorization. You cannot register for the training course without it, and the letter includes the list of approved training centers and required study material.
3. Complete the prescribed certification training course at the Florida State Fire College in Ocala or an approved equivalent facility. The current Fire College course is the Fire Extinguisher Technician program.
4. Pass the State Fire Marshal exam, administered by Pearson VUE. It tests "the rules and statutes governing the activities authorized by the license" and your ability to do the work "in a competent, lawful, and safe manner" (F.S. 633.304).
5. Receive your license or permit. Permittees get a photo identification card and must have the permit on them at all times while working.

Insurance (licensees)

A licensed dealer must keep evidence of current insurance on file with the State Fire Marshal (FAC 69A-21.114). If you do not provide it within 30 days of your policy's expiry, or within 30 days of a notice asking for it, the State Fire Marshal starts administrative proceedings.

Continuing education

FAC 69A-21.113 requires 16 hours every two years for renewal:

• Licensees: 1 hour of business practices, 1 hour of workers' compensation and 14 hours of technical content.
• Permittees: 1 hour of workplace safety, 1 hour of business practices and 14 hours of technical content.

Someone whose first license or permit runs a year or less owes half the hours.

Next step

The exam is closed book, so the course is where you learn the material and practice is where you find out whether it stuck. Try our free Florida fire extinguisher practice test, or see the full question bank.