FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SPRINKLERS
Fire Hydrants are required to be tested Annually to ensure proper functioning. Each hydrant is to be opened fully and water flowed until all foreign material has cleared. Flow is required to be maintained for not less than one minute. Flow Tests are usually required every three years, depending on the local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction). A flow test is conducted to determine pressure and flow-producing capabilities at any location within the distribution system. The primary function of fire flow tests is to determine how much water is available for fighting fire.
Painted sprinkler heads are required to be replaced. According to the 2008 edition of NFPA 25 – 5.2.1.1.2 – Any sprinkler head shall be replaced that has signs of leakage, is painted (other than by the sprinkler manufacturer), corroded, damaged or loaded; or is in the improper orientation.
Yes, Georgia Law requires a complete walkthrough of your facility. Therefore, it is unacceptable to do a sampling by visual validation of different areas or portions of a system, such as a percentage of apartments or rooms in a residential facility or business occupancy, and then consider the system to be fully inspected. Click Here for a copy of the Facility Inspection Requirements for Georgia.
All Backflow Devices installed in fire protection system piping must be tested annually. According to the 2008 edition of NFPA 25 -13.6.2.1 (Standard for the inspecting, testing and maintenance of water based fire protection systems) “all backflow devices installed in fire protection system piping must be tested annually”. Section 13.6.3.1 states, “maintenance of all backflow prevention assemblies shall be conducted by a trained individual following the manufacturer’s instructions in accordance with the procedures and policies of the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
Visit www.sprinklerreplacement.com for a list of recalled sprinkler heads and additional information.
We have prepared a complete Winter Preparedness Checklist for your convenience:
Wet Pipe Sprinkler Systems:
– Ensure that the building shell is in good condition; close up any unnecessary openings
– Maintain building heat at a minimum of 40°F in all normally heated areas and any area with a wet pipe sprinkler system
– Check coldest points of building to ensure temperature is at least 40°F (i.e., eaves, over shipping doors, spaces without direct heat)
– Consider low temperature alarms in areas where heat is suspect
– Identify vulnerable areas, such as crawl spaces, attics, and above suspended ceilings, where water piping pass through and provide a way for heat to reach these areas
– Place thermostats and/or low temperature alarms at strategic locations to monitor building temperature
– Check insulation in attic areas or other areas near wet pipe sprinkler pipes.
Dry Pipe Sprinkler Systems:
– Maintain heat in dry pipe valve rooms, fire pump rooms and all areas protected by wet pipe sprinkler systems, at a minimum of 40°F.
– Heaters should be thermostatically controlled. Use of portable heaters is discouraged.
– Drain all low point drains weekly during freezing weather. Have additional drains installed if necessary.
– Have air leaks repaired to keep system from tripping if compressor power is lost.
– Air supplied to the compressor should come from a dry, room-temperature source. If this is not possible, or moisture build-up is a problem, consider installing an air dryer or using nitrogen instead of air.
– Have the pitch checked on any pipes
Hydrants, Control Valves and Fire Department Connections:
– Check private hydrant fittings for tightness.
– For areas prone to significant snow, identify hydrants with flags or markers located above the average snow line.
– Check around hydrants and post indicator valves for soft or wet ground. This is an indication of a leaky underground piping and should be further assessed.
– Ensure all control valves are in their normal operating position and secure from tampering.
– Check fire department connections for accessibility. Keep clear by shoveling away snow to access connections.
Antifreeze Systems:
– Have antifreeze solution checked for mix strength.
Gravity and Suction Tanks:
– Flush heaters, water circulating equipment and piping
– Turn on heaters and water circulating equipment and monitor equipment throughout winter months.
FIRE ALARMS
NICET certification is the highest level of validation for fire protection technicians. Our inspectors are all NICET-certified; this requires testing (written, multiple choice) and documentation including a work history, recommendations, and supervisor verification of specific experience.
15 years is the lifespan of a smoke detector
If a sprinkler head is activated, the flow of water sends the Fire Alarm system into Alarm. For example, if there is a leak (or a fire) in the middle of the night, the fire alarm system will notify authorities? And damage can be minimized.
You should replace your batteries as recommended by their manufacturer or when capacity has diminished below 65%. This is often within 5 years. Refer to NFPA 72: 14.4.3.2 for complete details on battery replacement.
This depends on your AHJ. Your fire alarm system should always be monitored unless you have been exempted by your Fire Marshal or if you have 24 hour security onsite.
Sensitivity shall be checked within 1 year after installation…and every alternate year thereafter unless otherwise permitted.
MONITORING
You must have some form of backup transmission in case the primary medium of transmission goes out of order. You need two (primary and secondary) of the aforementioned mediums, in any combination.
Phone lines – All phone lines must be PTSN
– Disadvantages: Phone lines typically have the most expensive monthly charge.
IP (Internet Communicator) – Most recently approved medium of transmission (2013).
– Advantages: Eliminate phone lines, lower monthly charge.
– Disadvantages: New technology, risk of power outage, expensive initial start up fee.
Wireless/Cellular
– Advantages: No need for internet or landlines (phone lines)
EXTINGUISHER
There are several clean agent fire extinguishers on the market that are rated for class A, B and C class fires yet will not damage sensitive electrical equipment. These extinguishers leave no residue and require no clean up after discharge. Two examples are the “Cleanguard FE 36” extinguisher manufactured by Ansul and the Halotron I manufactured by Amerex.
HALOTRON I is a “Clean Agent” HydroChloroFluoroCarbon
(HCFC) discharged as a rapidly evaporating liquid which leaves no residue. It effectively extinguishes Class A and B fires by cooling and smothering and it will not conduct electricity back to the operator. Halotron is pressurized with Argon gas and is an EPA and FAA approved agent suitable for use on Class A, B and C fires. It has a low GWP of 0.04 – 0.24, low ODP of 0.014 (twelve times lower than the EPA maximum allowable ODP of 0.20) and a low Atmospheric Lifetime (31⁄2 to 11 years). Halotron is intended for use in areas formerly protected by Halon 1211 hand portable extinguishers such as computer rooms, telecommunications facilities, clean rooms, data storage areas, offices (for protection of sensitive electronic equipment), boats and vehicles.
DuPont™ FE-36™ is proving to be the standard in-kind replacement for Halon 1211 in portable fire extinguishers. DuPont™ FE-36™ has comparable performance and efficiency to Halon 1211, lower toxicity, as well as zero ozone depletion potential. In a portable fire extinguisher, DuPont™ FE-36™ is discharged as a stream of gas and liquid droplets that penetrate into the fire area, ceasing the combustion process through heat absorption and a chemical interaction. DuPont™ FE-36™ is also a replacement for Halon 1301 in local application systems, such as modular systems.
Typical clean agent applications:
– Computer rooms
– Data and document storage
– Communication facilities
– Hospital operating rooms
– Control rooms
– Electronic manufacturing
– Museums
– Laboratories
Class K combustible cooking media fires typically involve kitchen appliances containing quantities of cooking greases or oils that present special hazard extinguishment and re-flash concerns. Only extinguishing agents having the ability to saponify and create a thick, heavy, long-lasting type of foam blanket upon the hot cooking media surface seal out the oxygen, cool the cooking media, and keep these fire situations out.
The Class K listed fire extinguishers have effectively demonstrated the ability to address these commercial kitchen types of fire hazard situations.
Class K Fires. Class K fires are fires in cooking appliances that involve combustible cooking media (vegetable or animal oils and fats). Fire extinguishers for the protection of Class K hazards shall be selected from types that are specifically listed and labeled for use on Class K fires.
Existing dry chemical extinguishers without a Class K listing that were installed for the protection of Class K hazards shall be replaced with an extinguisher having a Class K listing when the dry chemical extinguishers become due for either a 6-year maintenance or hydrostatic test. Class K fire extinguishers shall be provided for hazards where there is a potential for fires involving combustible cooking media (vegetable or animal oils and fats).
Maximum travel distance shall not exceed 30 ft (9.15 m) from the hazard to the extinguishers.
It is the owners’ responsibility to inspect the fire extinguishers at a minimum of thirty-day intervals. Fire extinguishers shall be inspected at more frequent intervals when circumstances require.
Fire extinguishers shall be subjected to maintenance at intervals of not more than 1 year, at the time of hydrostatic test, or when specifically indicated by an inspection or electronic notification. Maintenance Record Keeping. Each fire extinguisher shall have a tag or label securely attached that indicates the month and year the maintenance was performed, identifies the person performing the work, and identifies the name of the agency performing the work.
*The Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioners Office requires all companies that perform maintenance on fire extinguishers to be licensed and permitted through their office, a list of approved companies can be viewed at http://www.gainsurance.org/FireMarshal/Engineering.aspx.
Requirements – CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Title 29, part 1910 (OSHA) section 157 paragraph g.1 &2. “Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer shall also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting. The employer shall provide the education required in paragraph (g)(1) of this section upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.” Fire Systems, Inc. can help with the required training. Contact us for an onsite comprehensive training program.
The standard rule of thumb is a travel distance of no more than seventy-five feet for class “A” hazards and fifty feet travel distance for class “B” hazards. These are general guidelines and can differ based on many factors. Fire extinguisher spacing is addressed in NFPA 10 (Standard for portable fire extinguishers) section 6.2.1.1.
SUPPRESSION
Every 12 months, unless an administrative control program exists that addresses barrier integrity. Refer to NFPA 2001: 7.4 for complete details.
Clean agents are particularly useful for hazards where:
– An electrically non-conductive agent is required
– Cleanup of other agents presents a problem
– Hazard obstructions require the use of a gaseous agent
– The hazard is normally occupied and requires a non-toxic agent
– FM-200
– FE-13
– Sapphire
– NOVEC 1230
– Inergen
– CO2 (technically classified separately from clean agents)
Your cylinders should be checked Semi-annually.
VEHICLE SYSTEMS
One type of detection offered is with individual thermostats located strategically within the hazard area. During a fire the thermostat is heated to its factory preset actuation temperature. Upon reaching the preset temperature the electric contacts close and actuate the fire suppression system. When the thermostat cools, the contacts reset to their original open condition.
Another type of detection is with the use of Linear Heat Wire consisting of two steel conductors inside a heat sensitive wiring harness. This wire is usually ran throughout the entire hazard you are protecting. The two internal steel conductors are twisted into a spring loaded normally open condition. When heated to a specific pre-determined temperature, the external conductor jackets will melt causing the conductors to short together and close the circuit; this results in the system discharging.
Depending on the manufacturer of the system you have installed on your equipment, will tell whether power comes from the vehicle battery or whether it is an independent system. Ansul fire suppression systems operate solely on the battery located inside the control module, where Amerex receives power from the vehicle battery.
Maintenance shall be performed every 1000 hours or semi annually (whichever comes first ).
Requirements for technician:
A service technician who performs maintenance on an extinguishing system shall be trained and shall have passed a written or online test that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. The service technician shall possess a certification document issued by the manufacturer or testing organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. A service technician who has the applicable manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual and service bulletins shall service the wet chemical fire-extinguishing system at intervals no more than 6 months apart. Go to http://www.gainsurance.org/FireMarshal/Engineering.aspx for a list of approved companies in Georgia.
Owner’s Inspection:
On a monthly basis, inspection shall be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual or the owner’s manual.
KITCHEN HOOD
The requirements for installation, inspection and maintenance of kitchen hood fire suppression systems are covered by NFPA 17-A (Standard for wet chemical extinguishing systems) and NFPA 96 (Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations)
Class K combustible cooking media fires typically involve kitchen appliances containing quantities of cooking greases or oils that present special hazard extinguishment and re-flash concerns. Only extinguishing agents having the ability to saponify and create a thick, heavy, long-lasting type of foam blanket upon the hot cooking media surface seal out the oxygen, cool the cooking media, and keep these fire situations out. The Class K listed fire extinguishers have effectively demonstrated the ability to address these commercial kitchen types of fire hazard situations.
Class K fires are fires in cooking appliances that involve combustible cooking media (vegetable or animal oils and fats). Fire extinguishers for the protection of Class K hazards shall be selected from types that are specifically listed and labeled for use on Class K fires.
Existing dry chemical extinguishers without a Class K listing that were installed for the protection of Class K hazards shall be replaced with an extinguisher having a Class K listing when the dry chemical extinguishers become due for either a 6-year maintenance or hydrostatic test. Class K fire extinguishers shall be provided for hazards where there is a potential for fires involving combustible cooking media (vegetable or animal oils and fats).
Maximum travel distance shall not exceed 30 ft (9.15 m) from the hazard to the extinguishers.
The recent demand for a low-fat diet has profoundly changed the effectiveness of conventional dry chemical extinguishing agents. Additives which make low-fat oils palatable, coupled with super-insulated deep fat fryers have rendered most dry chemical agents ineffective for fighting these types of fires. The concern has been so significant that a UL 300 test requirement was enacted calling for new agents and new designs for all systems installed or modified as of November 21, 1994. As a result only wet chemical systems manufactured after this date meet the requirements of UL 300. (Check with your fire protection professional to make sure your system is in compliance)
Maintenance:
At least semiannually, maintenance shall be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual.
Requirements for technician:
A service technician who performs maintenance on an extinguishing system shall be trained and shall have passed a written or online test that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. The service technician shall possess a certification document issued by the manufacturer or testing organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. A service technician who has the applicable manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual and service bulletins shall service the wet chemical fire-extinguishing system at intervals no more than 6 months apart. Go to http://www.gainsurance.org/FireMarshal/Engineering.aspx for a list of approved companies in Georgia.
Owner’s Inspection:
On a monthly basis, inspection shall be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual or the owner’s manual.