OPTIMIZING YOUR LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS:
THE ROLE
OF A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
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Just as you take care of your other investments – like your car or your home--life safety systems need care and attention too. Lack of maintenance, environmental conditions and other factors can cause these systems to not respond as they are designed to. A comprehensive preventive maintenance program can help you:
• Recognize problems early,
• Minimize repair costs,
• Prevent business interruptions; and,
• Most importantly, prevent injury and loss of life.
Besides the loss of life and business, a comprehensive preventive maintenance program ensures that you are in compliance with local building codes, insurance requirements and, state and federal mandates. These can vary greatly and there can often be a disconnect between local and state requirements. For example, when local fire departments do their annual walk-through, they may only ask to see annual test reports on sprinkler systems; when in fact, NFPA 25 calls for quarterly tests and inspections.
Comprehensive Preventive Maintenance Program: Inspection and Testing Frequencies
Following NFPA guidelines for inspection and testing frequencies, as well as documentation, is a sure way to maintain your systems properly. NFPA 25 for automatic fire sprinklers and NFPA 72 for fire alarm are the industry standards.
Quarterly Inspections for:
Automatic fire sprinklers
• Wet pipe
• Dry pipe ESFR
• Preaction and deluge
• Water mist
• In-rack
• Fire pumps
• Fire hydrants
• Back-flow preventers
• FM-200 and CO2
Biannual Inspections for:
Non-water based suppression
• Clean agent
• Dry chemical
• Foam
Kitchen Hoods
Annual Inspections for:
Fire alarms and detection
• Intelligent alarm panels
• Voice evacuation
• Integrated networks
• Smoke detectors
• Specialty detectors
• Peripheral devices
Fire extinguishers
It is important to note that an annual inspection is not once per calendar year, but rather once within a twelve month period. Also, there are different inspection and testing frequencies for the various components of a life safety system depending on what fire code has been adopted. Although fire alarms are on an annual track, the fact is, if you are a healthcare facility accredited by JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations), you are actually required to test the fire alarm quarterly.
An essential part of the testing should include alarm devices and valves to ensure they are in working order and in the proper position. Systems also need to be inspected when buildings are renovated, remodeled, or when occupancy changes or water supply changes take place.
Documentation
Detailed files must be maintained for the fire department, insurance company and corporate offices. Reports should contain detailed deficiencies and recommendations for repair and system optimization. Documentation requirements can be complex and time-consuming. That is why partnering with a licensed contractor can ease the burden by streamlining the process and providing you with the documentation you need
There is a big difference between an inspection by your local Fire Marshall and an inspection by a licensed contractor. The Fire Marshall’s visit is focused more on checking the functionality of your system; however, not all devices and components are inspected. A licensed technician is focused on system optimization and will inspect and test each and every component to ensure that it is performing as designed by manufacturer specifications.
In any event, the ultimate responsibility for maintaining your life safety systems is not the contractor’s, not the Fire Marshall’s and not the manufacturer’s – IT’S YOURS! Building owners have been held liable for systems that were not maintained.
For more information, or, to find out how a comprehensive preventive maintenance program can be tailored for you, please contact:
Ed Shebel
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
McDaniel Fire Systems
804 Canonie Drive
Porter, Indiana 46304
219-548-5105
eshebel@mcdanielfire.com
