Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Fire Protection Systems

This put up is a part of a sequence sponsored by IAT Insurance Group.

Fires can wreak havoc on buildings, inflicting property harm to each occupants and constructing homeowners and in essentially the most extreme instances, fatality. Non-residential constructing fires within the United States spiked 22% for the 10-year interval between 2011 to 2020, inflicting 95 deaths, 1,025 accidents and greater than $3 billion in losses. ^[1]

Fires not solely trigger a considerable monetary influence to insurers however can have a big financial influence on a group resulting in job losses and enterprise closings. For these causes fireplace safety and prevention is an important a part of constructing upkeep.

How to Protect Your Building from Fire

Since fireplace is likely one of the many perils coated underneath an ordinary property coverage, constructing homeowners should have their fireplace safety programs repeatedly inspected and ensure the programs are as much as code. Inspections will be carried out by a constructing engineer, however the testing and upkeep ought to be carried out by certified consultants resembling specialty contractors and licensed fireplace engineers.

The following fireplace safety programs ought to bear common inspecting, testing and upkeep (ITM) to assist defend your constructing in opposition to fireplace.

Portable Fire Extinguishers

All business buildings should have wall-mounted moveable fireplace extinguishers positioned alongside paths of regular journey all through a facility to assist in preventing a hearth.

There are 5 varieties of moveable fireplace extinguishers^[2] particularly designed to assist put out small fires:

• Class A hearth extinguishers are for bizarre combustibles
• Class B fireplace extinguishers are for flammable and flamable liquids
• Class C fireplace extinguishers are for electrical fires
• Class D fireplace extinguishers are for flamable metals fires
• Class Ok fireplace extinguishers are for cooking media

In areas with flammable liquids or cooking apparatuses, fireplace extinguishers ought to be positioned as much as 30 toes aside at a most; in areas with bizarre combustibles resembling paper, wooden or fabric, these gadgets ought to be positioned not more than 75 toes aside.

These gadgets ought to be inspected month-to-month to make sure they’re positioned within the appropriate location and are in working situation. In addition, every year constructing homeowners and operators ought to retain the providers of an expert contractor to examine your constructing’s fireplace extinguishers and certify them.

Fire Pumps

Commercial buildings — and infrequently smaller buildings — can have devoted water pumps put in to spice up the water stress and movement provided to automated fireplace safety sprinkler programs.

Two varieties of fireplace pumps will be put in: electric-driven fireplace pumps and diesel-driven fireplace pumps. Both have differing beneficial upkeep necessities:

• Electric-Driven fireplace pumps ought to be start-tested (aka churn examined) as soon as a month. This check doesn’t movement water; it’s initiated by a water stress drop and the pump is run for 10 minutes.Inspectors ought to document the stress readings on the discharge and suction gauges from this check. In addition, since every pump has a chosen stress score, any stress distinction better than 95% ought to be investigated and corrected.
• Diesel-Driven fireplace pumps ought to be start-tested (aka churn examined) as soon as every week and run for half-hour with out flowing water.

In addition, the pump producer or a certified sprinkler contractor ought to carry out an annual full movement check in your constructing’s fireplace pumps. During this check, document the suction and discharge pressures for no movement (churn), 100% rated movement and 150% of the rated pump movement to assist affirm your fireplace pump is working as meant.

Sprinkler Systems

A working and well-maintained sprinkler system not solely helps defend your property however might decrease your insurance coverage charges as nicely.

Wet pipe automated sprinklers and dry pipe automated sprinklers are the 2 mostly put in sprinkler programs. Both have equally beneficial ITM schedules, although dry pipe automated sprinklers have some extra ITM necessities since they’re typically situated in chilly local weather, unheated areas the place freezing pipes will be a problem and have extra working elements together with an air compressor to take care of the air stress within the piping.

Here’s a breakdown of what ought to be carried out for each programs:

• Test water stress gauges each 5 years and change them if vital.
• If your constructing incorporates particular person sprinkler heads which can be greater than 50 years previous, take a pattern variety of them to a lab for testing to verify they operate on the meant temperatures. Note: Sprinkler heads that go inspection must repeat the check each 10 years. If your sprinklers fail the check, all sprinkler heads of that age and sort have to be changed.
• Inspect the primary shut-off valve on a weekly foundation to make sure the programs stay lively and there aren’t any leaks or different apparent points.Dry pipe automated sprinklers additionally must have the air compressor inspected weekly to make sure it’s functioning correctly and to verify the dry valves haven’t tripped. During intervals of maximum chilly temperatures, examine the dry pipe enclosure every day to verify the heating programs are working as nicely.
• Hire a hearth sprinkler contractor to carry out an annual fundamental drain check and document the outcomes of static and residual water stress for comparability functions. If unusually low residual stress is detected, there might be a water provide drawback which ought to be additional investigated.

Note: Some jurisdictions could require quarterly testing, so affirm the testing frequency acceptable on your space.

Dry pipe automated sprinklers additionally must have the dry valve journey occasions examined and recorded. In addition, an expert contractor ought to carry out a full-flow journey check each three years.

Alarm Systems

Multiple varieties of alarms are linked to sprinkler programs. Some of the most typical alarm sorts embrace:

• Heat or smoke detection
• Manual pull stations
• Sprinkler valve tamper
• Sprinkler water movement
• Fire pump operating
• Fire pump water movement

At a minimal a certified contractor ought to check these alarms yearly, although month-to-month or quarter testing is most popular. In addition, it is strongly recommended that these fireplace safety alarms hyperlink to a 24-hour central station monitoring service.

Taking steps to make sure that your fireplace safety programs are inspected, examined and maintained repeatedly might assist save lives and defend your constructing within the occasion of a fireplace.

ASK A LOSS CONTROL REPRESENTATIVE

Have a query on the way to mitigate threat? Email losscontroldirect@iatinsurance.com for an opportunity to see your query answered in a future weblog.

By John Holpuch

[1] U.S. Fire Administration “Nonresidential Fire Estimate Summaries,” September 21, 2022.

[2] The University of Texas at Austin Fire Prevention Services “ABCs of Fire Extinguishers,” 2023.