SUMMARY: This is to notify the public that PHMSA is investigating the unauthorized marking of high- and low-pressure compressed gas cylinders, including fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinders, and self- contained breathing apparatus, by All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. The company is located at 385 High Street, Holbrook, NY. On June 15, 2004, two inspectors from the Office of Hazardous Materials Enforcement (OHME--Eastern Region) conducted a compliance inspection of All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. During the inspection, PHMSA obtained evidence that All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. had marked, certified, and returned to service an undetermined number of cylinders as being properly tested in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), without conducting the required hydrostatic testing of those cylinders.

All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc.'s retest records revealed that, from November 2003 through June 2004, All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. had returned to service hundreds of cylinders without hydrostatically testing them. In addition, PHMSA found no records of hydrostatic testing for cylinders All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. had requalified prior to November 2003. This and other evidence obtained by PHMSA indicates that All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. also failed to perform required hydrostatic testing on cylinders it requalified prior to November 2003.

Hydrostatic retesting and visual inspection, conducted as prescribed in the HMR, are used to verify the structural integrity of a cylinder. If the hydrostatic retesting and visual inspection are not performed in accordance with the HMR, a cylinder with compromised structural integrity may be returned to service when it should have been condemned in the first place. Extensive property damage, serious personal injury, or death could result from rupture of a cylinder. Cylinders that have not been retested in accordance with the HMR may not be charged or filled with compressed gas or other hazardous material.

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