# Fire Protection Certification — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 07-0070  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2007-05-08

07-0070 response to Fire Protection Certification concerning 173.309.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department
of Transportation
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration
400 Seventh Street. S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Mr. Edward O'Brien
President. Fire Protection Certification
87 19 Pete Wiles Road
Middletown, MD 2 1769
Ref. No.: 07-0070
Dear Mr. 0' Brien:
This is in response to your March 27, 2007 letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous
Materials Regulations (I-IMR; 49 CFR Parts 17 1 - 180) applicable to fire extinguishers.
Specifically, you ask if the non-specification fire extinguisher included with your written request
meets the requirements of 8 173.309.
The answer is no, the fire extinguisher does not conform to the provisions in $ 173.309 and,
when charged, may not be offered for transportation in commerce. Section 173.309(a)(3)
provides that a non-DOT specification cylinder made after 1976 and used as a fire extinguisher
must meet the specified req~~irements and be marked with the wording "MEETS DOT
REQUIREMENTS". As stated in paragraph (a)(3), this marking is a certification that the fire
extinguisher was manufactured in accordance with the specified requirements. The fire
extinguisher included with your written request does not contain the certification marking.
I hope this information is helpful. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact
this office.
Sincerely,
Hattie L. Mitchell
Chief. Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Office of Hazardous Materials. Standards

<<<PAGE 2>>>

F
FIRE PROTECTION CERTIFICATION
P
8719 Pete Wiles Road • Middletown, Md. 21769
LUJ
(301) 371-8685 • (888) 670-2965 • Fax: (301) 371-4528
NFPA
MEMBER
LTD
Email: fpcltd@aol.com
Web: www.fpcltd.com
Satterthwaite
$173.309
March 27, 2007
Fire Extinguishers
US Department of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
07 - 0070
400 Seventh Street,S W
Washington, DC20590
Attention Hattie L. Mitchell
Dear Hattie,
Included here is an empty 2 1/2 pound ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher manufactured
meets the requirements of 49 CFR section 173. 309 fire extinguishers?
by Strike First Corp. of Canada. My request for clarification is does this fire extinguisher
These fire extinguishers are being sold and shipped in the United States for distribution
and placement in commercial buildings and vehicles. A number of bus and truck
manufacturers are supplying these extinguishers on new units to meet DOT requirements.
My understanding is per 173.309 A fire extinguisher such as this Strike First would be
manufactured as a four series specification unit or a non-specification cylinder marked
with the words Meets DOT Requirements.
We contacted Strike First Corp. and they stated their extinguishers meet UL requirements
and they did not need to meet DOT requirements.
I would appreciate clarification on this as we conduct HAZ-MAT training seminars for
fire protection companies and I need to inform them on how to handle these units.
Sincerely
Elevardo Bron
Edward O'Brien
President

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2007/070070.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `80c09601c41595da5d19695e2453911c955e94e6d5a376de1e7a1fbcb601123e`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T17:27:44.864Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-07-0070`

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