Licences, authorisations and permits relating to the use of scheduled extinguishing agents in the fire protection industry are issued by the Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board (FPIB).
The Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 allows for the following types of licences, authorisations and permits:
- EAHL – qualified persons
- EAHL – experienced persons
- Extinguishing agent trainee
Handling a scheduled extinguishing agent means undertaking any task for which there is risk of emission of the scheduled agent. This includes, but is not limited to:
- decanting the agent
- installing or maintaining fire protection equipment that contains a scheduled extinguishing agent (i.e. gaseous fire suppression systems and portable fire extinguishers)
- decommissioning or disposing of fire protection equipment that contains a scheduled extinguishing agent.
This authority is required by anyone acquiring, storing and/or disposing of scheduled extinguishing agents listed in the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989. An extinguishing agent trading authorisation (EATA) is required to undertake the following activities:
- Buy/sell/possess agent in bulk, or
- Fill/recover agent
The maximum period of authorisation is 24 months.
A HSP may be granted by the FPIB where it is satisfied that:
- the applicant is appropriately experienced and the use of the halon is to protect human life or operate equipment that is critical to the community
- there is no practicable and safe alternative available at reasonable cost.
