Trained professional should inspect your business’ fire protection system on a regular basis. However, when should you as the business owner inspect your Fire Protection System? Should it be inspected, weekly, monthly, quarterly?
Regular schedule inspections identify tiny, easy to fix issues that may prevent sprinkler or sensors from working or not operating correctly can be addressed prior to a real-life emergency and big problems will not become tragedies.
Maintaining your building and your staff & clients to they are not in harms way from fire comes down to your counting on the physical fire protection systems you have in your place will operate when it counts.
However, counting on your fire protection system, particularly between professional fire inspections, to protect you when the time comes better not be just counting on good old hope and good luck.
Fire Codes Are Written Rules – People Confirm Fire Protection System Operational Status and Complete Repairs When Needed
Fire inspections are an integral component of prudent operational validation. Checking on a regular basis will identify problems that could negatively affect the proper operation of your buildings fire protection equipment.
Maintaining your building’s fire code compliance is critical factor why you should keep to scheduled inspections of your buildings fire protection systems. Keeping fire code compliance is one thing, but committing to doing scheduled fire inspections is about doing everything you can to eliminate the negative impact a fire would have on your business.
If there were a fire and the building’s fire protection system did not activate you would lose your company, your staff would lose their ability to make a living and keep roof over their head and the occupants could also perish.
There is no exact schedule for inspecting your building’s fire protection system but inspecting it regularly according to your company’s safety requirements, the local fire code, the fire protection system you have in place and your company’s insurance company requirements will guide you.
Here are point by point set of basic recommendations regarding fire protection system direct inspection and testing. Know that your local fire code and rules could be a bit somewhat dissimilar.
Inspection of Fire Protection Systems vs. Testing of Fire Protection Systems
Plenty of folks across the county employ both terms when describing each one. However, inspection of fire protection equipment and testing of fire protection equipment are not the same.
The National Fire Protection Association publishes standard protocol for each one and government in all locales employ them to create fire codes and standards.
Inspection of Fire Protection Systems – Fire inspections mean technicians complete direct visual inspections of all fire protection equipment, such as fire sprinklers, water supply lines, working parts to check to see if there is any structural issues, visible corrosion or any water leaks.
Testing of Fire Protection Systems – Testing is direct inspection of fire protection systems when systems tests are run to see if the system works and to see if integrated systems are functioning properly. NFPA Standards are followed when completing inspections and testing.
What Should Be My Fire Protection System Inspection Schedule?
The answer to that question is that it depends on several factors.
The basic answer is to use the local fire code to determine your company’s fire protection system inspection. The fire code used by your local state normally employs the NFPA standards, which spells out specifically when different fire protection systems require inspection. Here are the links to those codes.
NFPA 25 Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems
NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
NFPA 10 Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers
NFPA 17A Standard for Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems (Kitchen Systems)
NFPA 17 Standard for Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems (Paint Spray Booths)
NFPA 2001 Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems
Click here for all NFPA Codes.
Each type of system requires specific components of the system to tested or inspected at different times as follows: Weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, 2-year, 3-year, and 5-year. NFPA code incorporates components for occupants and building owners to inspect weekly and monthly most of the time but testing and inspections for longer service periods should be done by professional fire protection company, like Brazas Fire, out of Albuquerque, NM.