The inspection report lands in your inbox, and page two lists deficiencies you didn’t expect. Boxes stacked too high in the back storeroom. A couple of heads somebody painted over during last spring’s renovation. A gauge with a 2017 date stamp. None of it felt urgent until now, when the fire marshal, your insurer or your property manager wants it fixed. The items below are the ones that get written up on sprinkler inspection reports,…
Short answer: it depends on the part. NFPA 25 has some checks happening every week, others monthly, quarterly, yearly, every three years, and every five years, and the sprinkler heads get tested once they’ve been in service for 50 years. That’s a lot of calendars to keep track of. And here’s the problem. A sprinkler system can look totally fine while something’s wrong with it, and nobody finds out until there’s smoke. So let’s sort…
Fire sprinkler systems in commercial occupancies can help reduce fire, smoke, and water damage. According to the National Fire Protection Association, reductions in the average dollar loss per fire when sprinklers were present varied greatly by occupancy. The average overall loss was 11 percent lower in fires where sprinklers were present. Reducing Property and Financial Loss The percentage reductions were highest in health care occupancies, 73 percent, stores or offices, 70 percent, and public assembly…
Now, we install sprinkler systems in buildings to protect people and to protect property. But after we install the system, it doesn’t end there. We need to inspect, test, and maintain that system to make sure it’s going to operate when needed. Fire sprinkler systems can help control a small fire or help slow its spread before first responders arrive. Do you have a fire sprinkler system at your facility? If so, have you noticed…