PORTLAND – The owner of a fire equipment company in Buxton has been sentenced in U.S. District Court to two months imprisonment for his role in falsifying fire extinguisher tests.

Dale Nason, 49, who pleaded guilty last summer to 18 violations of the federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Law, also was given four months of home detention followed by three years of supervised release.

Nason, who was sentenced Tuesday, faced a maximum punishment of five years and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

The longtime owner of Statewide Fire Protection admitted lying to customers about having conducted required tests on high-pressure carbon dioxide fire extinguishers between May 2001 and July 2004.

The prosecution said Nason, who lacked the equipment needed to conduct the tests, put his clients at risk and violated their trust.

The federal investigation was triggered by a tip to the U.S. Department of Transportation.