Fire Extinguisher Maker Gets $12M Penalty

Fire extinguisher manufacturer Walter Kidde Portable Equipment has been ordered to pay a $12 million civil penalty following allegations that the company failed to inform the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) of product defects in a timely manner.

Based in Mebane, N.C., Kidde agreed to the civil penalty and other terms as part of a consent decree entered by a federal judge. 

The allegations stem from a 2017 recall of Kidde fire extinguisher. According to the recall, the extinguishers could become clogged or require excessive force to discharge, fail to activate during a fire emergency, and some nozzles even fell off.