Summary

On July 29, Dale B. Nason, owner of Statewide Fire Protection (SFP), Buxton, ME, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland, ME to violating federal HazMat transportation laws by falsely certifying the hydrostatic retesting of high-pressure carbon dioxide fire extinguishers. SFP has never applied for or received a PHMSA-approved Retester Identification Number (RIN). Failure to perform accurate periodic hydrostatic retesting of gas cylinders places lives of users at risk of injury or death due to explosion or malfunction. Investigation disclosed that, from May 2001 until December 2005, Nason fraudulently marked RINs of other companies on high-pressure cylinders which had not been tested in accordance with regulations. Customers for these fire extinguishers included numerous public and private schools, hospitals, and the Portsmouth, NH Naval Shipyard. Sentencing for Nason is pending. The investigation was assisted by PHMSA.