I cannot recommend International Fire under any circumstances, especially for HOAs or property managers in San Francisco. Our experience was a months-long ordeal of incompetence, project abandonment, and a complete failure of professional communication that put our building's safety in an unresolved state. Our 4-unit condo building needed to upgrade our fire alarm system to add active monitoring. We engaged International Fire, and the first thing they required was a full "Annual Fire Alarm Testing" for a fee of $450.00 just to diagnose the issue and provide a quote for the actual work. We paid this, and in December 2024, our HOA approved their proposal to complete the upgrade. That is when the problems started. Their installation team came to our property on at least three separate occasions and failed to complete the job each time, citing the need to return, but never following up each time until I came back asking for the status. After their last visit in early July 2025, we were told the main office would follow up with a new plan. They never did. For nearly two months, we were completely ghosted by their service department. My multiple emails and calls were ignored. We were stuck in a loop with their accounts receivable person, who continued to send invoices for other small items but could provide no information on the actual project we had hired them for. Eventually, we sent a final formal email giving them a five-day deadline to provide a resolution. They ignored that as well. Most concerning is their lack of local expertise. Despite being a San Francisco-based company, they failed to inform us about a critical, past-due city safety ordinance (the SFFC 1103.7.6.1 "Pillow Test") that our building was out of compliance with. A truly professional and diligent local contractor should have identified this immediately. We paid them $450 for an inspection that led to a necessary safety upgrade, and then they completely abandoned the project, leaving us to start over from scratch. Do not make the same mistake we did. Find a different contractor who is professional, competent, and actually communicates with their clients. read more

Professional and fast service. The prices are decent. The only thing is parking can be hard to find. read more

I had exceptional customer service at International Fire! Theresa phoned 3 technicians to see if anyone was available to charge the fire extinguisher I brought in on Veterans Day. There was a clerical error and I was informed the business was open, but it was not. I appreciated her very kind effort to accommodate me. The next day I returned and Carl informed me he was in a meeting and it would be a 45 minute wait. I told him what had happened and he immediately opted to recharge the fire extinguisher for its annual maintenance! I was very impressed and greatly pleased with that caliber of service from both of these people! Kudos to you both!! read more

I have been coming here for years to service my fire extinguishers or purchase a new one. Since I only come when I have to, which is when the extinguishers expire, I am not sure if it's the same guy but I think it is. He is friendly in a very familiar way and our brief exchange is very pleasant every time. The service is fast and efficient, I hope they will be around for a long long time read more

Very helpful, prompt, and pleasant. I take my fire extinguishers here for annual service. It is always a nice experience. I think they are reasonably priced as well. read more

Turn key service, right off the freeway, owner was nice and easy going. Offered to recycle my extinguishers for free.

Took our 3 home & car fire extinguishers there for recharge & certification. They did them within 20 minutes while I waited. One extinguisher was too old to re-do, so they provided me with another, pre-owned but newer one. Reasonable cost. Note that while-you-wait needs to be in by 2:30, since they close at 3. read more

Great local business that has been consistently reliable each year they service our extinguishers. Friendly and good work.

I called International Fire to find out the fees for an annual maintenance for 2 fire extinguishers ($18 a piece ***please note that there are different prices for different sizes of fire extinguishers***). Turns out that fire extinguishers over 12 years old can't be certified. So, I purchased 2 new ones. Theresa was really helpful, we'll be back next year for our annual maintenance. Thanks International Fire! read more

Appt scheduled for today between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Didn't hear anything from company so I called at 3:30 pm to make sure I was still on the schedule. Learned that a worker didn't come to work today because he hurt his back. No one bothered to contact me to reschedule. I guess I was just supposed to sit here all afternoon waiting for an appointment that was not going to happen. Not off to a good start here. read more

Good company. As of April 2017, International Fire fees: Annual maintenance/certification for fire extinguishers: $20 each for 5 lb extinguishers + $35.00 service/truck charge (if you are doing less than 8 extinguishers). Certification is the tech weighing the extinguisher(s) to verify contents and checking if the discharge hose is clear. While they are on site, you can add an additional 5 lb fire extinguisher for $62.50 (includes current year certification). If you call them back just to install, it's an additional $35.00 service/truck charge. You can purchase you own and bring it to their shop to certify for $20.00. Important to know that some fire extinguishers cannot be refilled (Costco, Lowes, Home Depot variety). It may be wise to check a store bought extinguisher if it is refillable. Fire extinguishers over XX years old can't be certified. They can pressure tested for a fee or simply buy a replacement. read more

Absolutely unresponsive. I've now called to try to schedule an appointment to have our fire panel for our building serviced more than 5 times and never received a call back, despite being told they are currently open for business. read more

Crazy that this place hasn't been reviewed yet. Great customer service-- they were super friendly, and the guy I spoke on the phone with (Rick?) showed me through the maze of obsolete regulations that the Department of Social Services set for our business, pointing out that their regulations spec out a type of extinguisher that hasn't been made in 15 years, while offering a better solution. They're also going to send me a reminder in a year when the thing needs to be certified again-- that's good service. They also do house calls, but they charge a $36 fee if you have less than 6 extinguishers. It's cheaper to just go there, which, frankly, I preferred so that I could just take care of business on my own time and get it done when I need it done instead of when they can schedule me. The office gal was super nice as well. Prices were fair-- this is a San Francisco business and even though it's out in the Dogpatch, they probably have to put up with the nonsense high rent that you and I have to put up with as well. And speaking of their location... They're in freaking SF!!!!! -(heart)- There's a lot of businesses in this City, all of which most likely are required to have a fire extinguisher. If you don't get yours from here you're doing yourself and the city a disservice. Keep the business in SF people! Support your local fire safety shop! read more

Great friendly service. They offered to service my home fire extinguisher while I waited ($22). Great piece of mind.

You can save a few bucks buying your extinguishers at a discount store but be aware that even if it is a brand new one the SFFD requires that it be dumped, refilled and tagged. Depending on size and where you take it this can cost you as much as your cost for your bargain priced fire extinguisher. Cheap extinguishers with plastic handles and/or internal parts can not be refilled. SFFD fire code requires that extinguishers be serviced annually and a service tag attached. After 10 years from the year of manufacture stamped on it the extinguisher can only be refilled and tagged if passes high pressure pressure tested. Procedure is called "hydro-testing". This is rarely cost effective. If you buy an extinguisher from a "big box" retailer it will most likely be purchased with some portion of its useful life already taken while it went through distribution channels and warehousing. I have seen them on store shelves as old as 5 years. International Fire is honest. On my last trip I was uncertain if one of the four extinguishers purchased was stolen from my car or left of there counter. When I called the next day the owner (Mike G) even offered to drop the forgotten extinguisher by my house. Now that is integrity and great service . Hints - A 10 pound (medium extinguisher) gives you a lot more bang for the buck then the smaller 5 pound (small) . They are also less likely to be stolen from hallways due to larger weight and bulk. They are still small and light enough a small person or child can handle them easily . Permanently marking your name and address discourages theft. I never put extinguishers in one of those cases requiring that the glass be broken to reach it. Most people are hesitant to break glass and every second counts in a fire. If you feel you must put it behind glass then provide a piece of pipe on a small chain attached the fire extinguisher box for breaking the glass without injury. read more

We used International Fire to outfit a multifamily residential building with extinguishers. Mike was available to make an appointment within a couple of days, came on time and quickly assessed the building's needs. He gave a price that seemed completely reasonable, and explained the various costs associated with installation. One of Mike's employees checked in by phone a few months later to see if we were satisfied and to make sure we knew Int'l Fire was available to check and recharge our extinguishers on an annual basis. What could have been (a) a hassle or (b) expensive wasn't either. We highly recommend. read more

I opened a new business a few months ago and despite many contractors on the job, nobody seemed to know the exact requirements to fit within City laws and our building's terms. International Fire came to the rescue, provided honest and thorough advice on what had to happen and made it happen--with enthusiasm, quietude, and efficacy. Alan was our project coordinator and kept me updated throughout the day and every day on the advancement and what I'd need to do to enable it, always with enough notice. I have spent days side to side with their team in my showroom and they did a fantastic job at staying as discreet as possible with customers and leaving a clean place every night. Given the tasks at hand, it was no small feat! read more

Bad business! I contacted international fire to reset my fire sprinkler system at my home. I told them a sprinkler needed to be replaced after discharging. They told me I had to do a 5 year inspection and then they would give me a list of items to bring my system up to readiness. They sent a tech to my house to inspect my system. When the tech arrived I told him I have a discharged sprinkler. He started bleeding the system and I asked him if water was going to come out of the discharged sprinkler and he said no. He went about bleeding the system and told my my pressure was low so he went to open the master valve that had been closed since a fire. I again asked him if water was going to come out upstairs but he opened up the valve anyways. Water came out of the discharged sprinkler soaking my whole bedroom. Then initially said they would take care of the damages. They offered me 2500 for all my damages and wanted me to sign a release of liability. I told them I rather file a claim with their insurance as my damages where way more than 2500. They responded with threats of going to the city for code violations that they said I violated for not getting my sprinklers reset within a certain time. They would not give me their insurance information. What's the use of dealing with someone who is bonded and insured if this is the way they operate? read more

Mike was very nice on the phone, but gave me a bid for $19,500 for sprinklers and told me the job would take six weeks because of permitting. I called other companies, all of whom quoted appreciably less, and ended up getting the job done for $4,500. Both my general contractor and the city inspector described International Fire's bid as a ripoff and a joke. read more

do NOT hire these guys. if you want someone to come in and just tear out your sprinklers and replace them without thinking about what they're doing, then Mike at international fire is your man. i updated all the sprinklers in my commercial building as part of a standard upgrade cycle. apparently, the original sprinklers had been installed too close to the ceiling light. no worries, he doesn't care, just swap it out! all well and good, except 3 weeks later it goes off because it's too close to the light. Dude, really? You're an expert at this--why did you put the sprinkler there if it was a hazard? 30,000 gallons a minute and $50K later in damage, he refuses to acknowledge any failing in putting the sprinkler in a position he knew from experience to be too close to the light, and has stuck me with the entire $2500 deductible. real class act. i strongly encourage you to hire mike if you want the job done really half-assed and with no expertise or responsibility. read more

We called them to get a quote for an annual inspection and were quoted $18 for our one extinguisher. We hired them and then found out there was an additional $40 service charge. When we called to complain, the woman who answered the phone and who gave the original quote indicated that the service charge was because we had less than 5 extinguishers. When we pointed out his was not disclosed prior to our hiring them, she hung up on us. The extinguisher we bought from them one year ago was $78. We paid $58 to get it "inspected". What a ripoff! Rude and incompetent staff too. read more

Mike at International Fire Inc helped us prepare the fire extinguishers in our apartment building for an annual inspection. He checked all of them and provided new tags. He was informative, friendly and efficient. read more

Well run business! When I called to make an appointment to have a fire extinguisher installed in my store, the receptionist was nice, friendly and immediately made an appointment for the following workday at 10AM. - The installer showed up on time, was personable, and nice and offered to mount my extinguisher as well. Great service. read more