FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM INSPECTION, TESTING AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS

Transcription

1 STRATEGIC OUTCOMES PRACTICE TECHNICAL ADVISORY BULLETIN February 2011 FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM INSPECTION, TESTING AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS Natioal Fire Protectio Associatio (NFPA) #25 a mai referece stadard that ca help you reduce the possibility of disaster at your facilities So you ve istalled a fire protectio system. Good! Does it work? Oly regular ad thorough ispectio, testig ad maiteace ca esure that your iitial ivestmet i a fire protectio system cotiues to pay off through a system that remais viable. A compay-wide commitmet to strog risk cotrol practices ad procedures is the foudatio of a good property coservatio program. A itegral part of this program must iclude proper ispectio, testig ad maiteace of fire protectio systems. Why? You eed a fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace program to: Esure all fire protectio equipmet ad systems will operate properly durig a emergecy ad help limit the extet of a loss; a weak fire ispectio program leaves you vulerable to a cripplig loss icidet Comply with idustry best practices Keep your good fire/property loss history itact, which will help esure competitive ad smooth property isurace reewals; please ote that other factors beyod your loss history ca impact isurace reewals Comply with govermet legislated fire codes; federal, state, provicial ad city/muicipal fire codes ormally madate miimum requiremets for fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace programs Followig are some basics that should be cosidered i a good fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace program. This overview is ot exhaustive ad oly seeks to provide fudametal risk maagemet advice o the subject matter. BASICS OF A GOOD FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM INSPECTION, TESTING AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM Various Natioal Fire Protectio Associatio (NFPA) fire codes provide good refereces ad guidelies i this area. Govermet-legislated fire codes ormally referece NFPA compliace as miimum requiremets. Isurace compaies also referece NFPA for miimum ispectio, testig ad maiteace requiremets. Some isurace compaies recommed ispectios ad/or testig stricter tha that required by NFPA codes. The required ispectios, testig ad maiteace of fire protectio systems should be performed by persoel who are traied ad experieced. This may ivolve

2 your compay maiteace staff or a qualified fire protectio cotractor. We recommed you cosult the authority havig jurisdictio for your specific properties i order to establish acceptable policy ad procedures for this work. The 2011 Editio of NFPA #25 Stadard for the Ispectio, Testig ad Maiteace of Water-Based Fire Protectio Systems outlies details for ispectig systems, such as spriklers, stadpipe ad hose, fixed water spray, private fire hydrats, water mist, foam water systems, water mais, fire pumps, water taks ad cotrol valves. NFPA INSPECTION CHECK-LIST The followig is oly a partial check-list of some NFPA #25 (2011 Editio) requiremets for fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace programs. Refer to NFPA #25 for additioal requiremets ad detailed iformatio. 4 EQUIPMENT TYPE ACTION REQUIRED WEEKLY Dry pipe ad pre-actio systems water ad air pressure visual ispectio Fire pumps visual ispectio Diesel drive fire pumps test ru Diesel pump fuel tak level ad batteries visual ispectio Water supply cotrol valves (sealed oly) visual ispectio MONTHLY Ispect fire protectio water supply cotrol valves (with locks or tamper switches provided) visual ispectio Alarm check valves ad trim ad valve tamper visual ispectio Record water pressure at sprikler riser visual ispectio Pre-actio deluge valves ad trim visual ispectio ad test water flow devices Electric drive fire pumps test ru QUARTERLY Water flow alarm devices visual ispectio ad test mechaical devices 2 i drai test whe a sole supply is through a backflow or PRV test Fire hydrats, fire hose ad hose houses visual Ispectio Water suctio taks visual ispectio SEMI-ANNUALLY Water flow alarm devices usig ispectio test coectio test Valve tamper switches test Smoke/heat detectio uits visual ispectio ANNUALLY A qualified idividual or fire protectio cotractor should coduct comprehesive ispectios, testig ad maiteace o items such as sprikler system cotrol valves, pipe hagers, pipig, sprikler heads, water flow alarms, dry pipe valves, mai two-ich drais, fire pumps, hydrats, etc. Fire alarm systems ispect ad test Stadpipe systems, fire hose, etc. ispect ad maiteace Private fire hydrats ispect ad maiteace Fire pumps detail ispectio ad maiteace icludig performace testig Sprikler system water supply cotrol valves test/tur ad maiteace 2

3 NFPA AND OTHER SOURCE INSPECTION CHECK-LIST The appropriate NFPA Stadards ad/or other local fire codes should be refereced whe establishig a fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace program. Protect your ivestmet. Prevet a disaster. Keep all fire protectio systems i service ad properly maitaied. 4 EQUIPMENT TYPE ACTION REQUIRED Portable fire extiguishers Fire alarms ad voice commuicatio systems for life safety Emergecy power systems emergecy electrical power systems for critical equipmet Special fire suppressio systems low-medium-high expasio foam, carbo dioxide, halo, clea aget, dry/wet chemical, deluge, etc. Smoke/heat detectors ad carbo dioxide detectors Maual fire alarm pull statios Fire doors Water suctio taks ad reservoirs KEEP RECORDS ispect mothly ispect ad test aually (portios of systems require weekly/mothly testig) mothly testig aual ad/or semi-aual testig required ispect/test aually test aually visual weekly ispectio ad aual testig visual weekly ispectios ad mothly/aual maiteace Records should be kept for all ispectios, testig ad maiteace ad filed for review by the fire departmet, isurace compaies, your broker ad other fire protectio cosultats. A REMINDER! IMPAIRMENTS TO FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS If ay fire protectio system is take out of service (plaed evet) or becomes impaired for ay reaso, special precautios should be take. The followig is a partial list of recommeded procedures ad precautios. Report impairmets to your isurace compay as required Report impairmets to the public fire departmet Expedite repairs i order to limit the time fire protectio is impaired Provide extra fire extiguishers ad fire hose Hot work should ot be coducted i the area affected by the impairmet Provide extra security ad fire watch as eeded 3

4 IMPORTANT PROPER APPLICATION OF NFPA #25 KEY POINTS REGARDING THE SCOPE AND PROPER APPLICATION OF NFPA #25 Readers should review NFPA #25 i detail to uderstad the full scope ad resposibilities ivolved i this area of fire protectio, ad also cosult fire protectio professioals ad/or the authority havig jurisdictio as eeded to esure you are followig proper procedures. NFPA #25 addresses the operatig coditio of fire protectio systems as well as impairmet hadlig ad reportig as applied to fire protectio systems that have bee properly istalled i accordace with geerally accepted practices. The NFPA #25 outlies procedures to esure a fire protectio system will activate ad fuctio as desiged; however, the adequacy of the system to protect the hazards/occupacy ivolved is ot part of this stadard (see Chapter 1, Sectio 1.1.3). NFPA #25 does ot require the ispector to verify the adequacy of the desig of the systems ispected ad tested. The evaluatio regardig adequacy of the fire protectio to protect a give occupacy is outside the scope of NFPA #25 (see Chapter 1, Sectio ad A ). Resposibility for Fire Protectio System Ispectio, Testig, Maiteace ad Impairmets NFPA #25 idicates the property ower or desigated represetative shall be resposible for properly maitaiig a waterbased fire protectio system (see Chapter 4). Chages i Occupacy, Use, Process, or Materials NFPA #25 idicates that the property ower or desigated represetative shall ot make chages i the occupacy, the use or process, or the materials used or stored i the buildigs without a evaluatio of the fire protectio systems. A evaluatio regardig the adequacy of the fire protectio desig is ot cosidered part of the ormal ispectio, testig, ad maiteace required by NFPA #25 (see Chapter 4, Sectio ad ad ). This bulleti does ot cover all parts of the Natioal Fire Protectio Associatio (NFPA) Stadard #25 Stadard for the Ispectio, Testig ad Maiteace of Water- Based Fire Protectio Systems. We have oly refereced a few sectios of this stadard to highlight best practices i the subject area. We ecourage readers to review NFPA #25 i detail for a full uderstadig of the NFPA requiremets relatig to fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace programs. 4

5 SUMMARY A strog fire protectio system ispectio, testig ad maiteace program is essetial to esure all fire protectio equipmet ad systems will fuctio properly durig a emergecy. This will help protect your compay assets ad prevet a iterruptio of ormal busiess operatios as well as help esure your orgaizatio is i compliace with applicable fire codes, idustry best practices ad isurace compay requiremets. We recommed periodic audits of existig programs be udertake to esure they are up to date ad fuctioig properly. CONTACTS If you would like additioal iformatio o this or other risk cotrol topics, cotact your local Willis Property Risk Cotrol represetative or: Day Fora Seior Risk Cotrol Cosultat Willis Strategic Outcomes Practice Willis Caada Ic [email protected] Joe Stavish, PE Natioal Techical Director Property Risk Cotrol Willis Strategic Outcomes Practice [email protected] You may also visit our website at willis.com. The objective of our publicatio is to provide a geeral overview ad discussio of issues relevat to loss cotrol. The commets ad suggestios preseted should ot be take as substitute for advice about ay specific situatio. REFERENCES 1. Natioal Fire Protectio Associatio (NFPA) NFPA 25 Stadard for the Ispectio, Testig, ad Maiteace of Water-Based Fire Protectio Systems 2011 Editio 5