What to expect during an annual fire sprinkler inspection?

Each year, thousands of people lose their lives during a fire accident in the commercial as well as residential buildings. This means fire accidents are one of the major causes of death in the United States and around the world. Hence, it is essential to install proper fire protection systems in both commercial and residential buildings. A fire sprinkler system is one of the crucial fire suppression systems that every homeowner and business owner should install. This type of system helps in extinguishing fire flames. However, just installing is not enough, you need to consider proper maintenance and repair fire sprinkler system services to ensure your fire sprinkler system serves the purpose during a fire event.

If you already have a fire sprinkler system and considering to get it inspected for the first time, here’s what you can expect.

Do you know the basic purpose of fire suppression inspections is to help building owners find out the potential problems in their systems? Fire sprinkler inspections usually happen weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, 3-years and 5-years.

When you hire a fully licensed and certified fire sprinkler inspection professional, you can expect your contractor to inspect for the following:

Your contractor will look for any physical damage - First of all, your contractor will perform a physical check on your fire sprinkler system to look for any signs of damage. Your technician will carefully check at each component of your sprinkler system, such as water flow alarm, check valve, relief valve, main control valve, and sprinkler piping. If they detect any physical damage, your fire sprinkler will immediately undergo repairs.

Your contractor will confirm extra sprinkler heads - Once the physical check is completed, your contractor will confirm whether you have extra sprinkler heads in place or not. For example, if your sprinkler head is damaged, having an extra sprinkler head is necessary. This is to ensure that the damaged head is replaced immediately so that the system gets back into service.

Checking main drain line - A fire sprinkler system is a wet fire protection system. This means it requires a regular and sufficient supply of water all the time, as fire mishap can occur anytime. Hence, your fire sprinkler technician will check your main drain line to make sure your fire sprinkler gets enough amount of water flow.

To conclude -

These are some of the things you can expect during a fire sprinkler inspection. With regular maintenance and inspection of your fire sprinkler, you can ensure the safety of your property, loved ones, or customers, staff, clients, and yourself. If you’re planning to schedule your first fire sprinkler inspection, make sure you keep these things in your mind. It is always a good idea to be well-informed so that you know what is happening during the fire sprinkler system or whether your contractor is doing it right or not.

How Often Should My Fire Sprinkler System Be Inspected?

Do you wonder why installing fire sprinkler systems are mandatory? Do you know what fire sprinkler systems are? Well, your building depends on a network of fire protection equipment so that the building and the people inside stay safe from fire mishaps. Although sprinkler systems are pretty mainstream, there are a lot of people who have no idea as to why installing fire sprinklers are important.

Additionally the installation of this equipment will help you in understanding the importance of fire sprinkler services and maintenance.

According to the National Fire Protection Act, it is essential to maintain the fire sprinkler systems. This ensures that the systems are functioning properly. Mentioned below is a look at the recommended timelines for performing inspections and why is it important?

How often should fire sprinklers be inspected?

Inspections are necessary at least once a week. According to the NFPA, mentioned below is the inspection schedule one should follow.

Weekly or Monthly: In case you have a pre-action,dry or deluge sprinklers systems, make sure they are inspected at least once a week. On the other hand, if you have wet pipe sprinkler systems installed, these systems can be inspected once a month.

Annually: Once a year, inspect the pipes and fittings.

Quarterly: Make sure you get your water flow alarm, valve supervisory alarm devices, and hydraulic nameplates inspected.

Every 5 years: Fire sprinkler systems save lives. Conducting an inspection of sprinkler piping is mandatory once every five years. According to the National Fire Protection Association, it has been found that when this equipment is paired with other safety systems, it is capable of lessening property damage, injuries, and death by more than 50%.

These are some of the timelines you should follow to perform fire sprinkler inspections. Keep them in mind and follow them. Also before you get started, make sure you look for a company that has experts who are well trained with proper qualifications and knowledge. The qualification must consist of factory training, certification, and licensure to perform fire sprinkler inspections and tests.

How Can You Maintain Your Fire Extinguishers?

Ever thought why fire extinguishers are important? It is imperative to have fire extinguishers in every building. Every time you enter a building, you will find an extinguisher. But what if that extinguisher does not function properly? The most common reason behind this is irregular inspection and fire extinguisher maintenance. Hence, it is very important that all the fire extinguishers are inspected and maintained on a monthly basis. Furthermore, there are various types of fire extinguishers that are used for different purposes. Below mentioned are some.

Types of Fire Extinguishers

Before you buy or use a fire extinguisher, you should know what types of fire it is made to handle.

Class A: Materials, like cloth, wood or paper

Class B: Flammable liquids

Class C: Appliance, electrical

Class D: Metals

Class K: Cooking oils

Tips to maintain fire extinguishers

The first thing to do is to check whether the fire extinguisher is fully charged or not. This is one of the important things for keeping the regular pressure of fire extinguishers in case you want to use it. Next, based on different types of buildings, there are different types of fire extinguishers used. For example, a restaurant will have different fire protection than a library. In case you are not sure which fire extinguisher to use, check with the fire extinguisher maintenance company.

Furthermore, check whether the fire extinguisher is properly maintained or not. There are times when a fire extinguisher has some dents on it. But these dents don't necessarily mean that the extinguishers cannot be used. In fact, dented extinguishers are tested and returned to the service and all the history of the maintenance will be available on the inspection tag.

Test the Hardware

It is important to check and test the extinguishers because sometimes they get clogged. You can get in touch with a fire protection company if you think there is a clog. The experts will examine the situation and get it solved as soon as possible.

Clean

Check whether your fire extinguisher is tested properly or not. Also, check for other damages. Make sure you clean all the dirt that might have accumulated on it. Remember, most of the fire extinguishers can be used for a long time if cleaned and maintained properly. Additionally, do not forget to check the expiration date. In case it is more than 10 years, get a new one.

Most of the people out there tend to ignore the significance of fire extinguishers for the safety of their homes. Do your research and make sure you know how to use them. To know more about fire extinguisher compliance and maintenance, Contact Fireserv.

The Importance of Functional Panic Bars

Panic bars can be added to any door to serve as an essential safeguard in case of fire or other emergency. They are devices that include a spring loaded metal bar that opens and unlocks a door when pressed. These devices are strategically placed on doors around hotels, hospitals, commercial places and all other buildings where there may be crowded.

The importance of panic bars cannot be ignored- they can save lives in the worst scenarios.

Panic Bars, also known as push bars or crash bars, first began to appear in buildings in 1908 as a response to hundreds of death due to locked doors during fires. After a countless number of tragedies, the United States and other countries began to implement laws that require these emergency devices in every building. After the panic bars installations, the death rate decreased dramatically.

Not convinced yet?

In addition to providing a safe exit in case of fire, fucntional panic bars have umpteen number of benefits. Below mentioned are some.

Benefits of panic bars installations

Less Insurance Rates: The proper installation and maintenance of panic bars in buildings can automatically lessen insurance rates. Anything that increases the safety of buildings will ultimately have an effect on the insurance premiums of buildings. In case of other emergencies, panic bars can be just as effective and essential in situations other than fires. Natural disasters, gas leaks, and other dangerous events are cases in which well placed and maintained panic bars can save lives.

Security: Alarm activated panic bars can offer a level of security that normal doors cannot provide. For example: in the case of a robbery, it could allow people to exit while also activating the security alarm. It can activate the alarm for attempted entry from outside, helping to prevent burglary.

Legal Compliance: It is a legal need to have properly working and well maintained panic bars in any building that holds a huge crowd of people. Proper maintenance of these doors is also needed to be compliant.

These are some of the added yet most essential benefits for the safety of the people in your building.

To ensure the safety of your building, Contact the experts at Fire Serv. The experts at Fire Serv are available seven days a week for appointments and emergency service.