FAQ
You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.
Overview
We understand fire protection systems are complex and difficult to understand. You may ask yourself: What fire protection system is best for my business? How often do I need the fire sprinkler system inspected? Who is certified to service all the fire extinguishers on my property?
We at Fire Safety First believe that the best way to service our clients is by educating them and keeping them informed. Browse through our frequently asked questions below to find the answers you are looking for.
faq's
Fire Alarms
National Fire Protection Association #72 requires all devices in a fire alarm system to be tested annually. This can be accomplished all at once or broken up into quarterly or semi-annual testing as long as all the devices are tested once a year. Hospitals have different testing requirements as they fall under the jurisdiction of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. Some insurance companies may have more stringent requirements for device testing, FSF will provide testing to meet these requirements if more stringent than NFPA #72.
Batteries eventually lose their ability to hold a charge regardless of what application they are being used in. Batteries in a fire alarm system have to be able to run the alarm system for a specified amount of time if the alarm system loses A/C power. NFPA 72 states batteries are to be replaced at specified intervals, per the manufacturer’s requirements.
It is common at times to have the same re-occurring trouble or alarm signal come into the alarm panel. This reoccurring signal might come into the panel at approximately the same time each day. Many times when this occurs, it is usually found to be some other outside factor causing the problem (i.e. irrigation water getting into an exposed junction box). In order to properly troubleshoot a problem, it is very important to understand what is causing it.
The California Code of Regulations requires that fire alarm systems be inspected and tested by appropriately licensed fire protection companies.
Fire Safety First is a licensed fire protection contractor. We hold a California State Contractors License #599761, licensed in C10 Electrical, C16 Fire Protection, and C36 Plumbing.
Fire alarm systems are designed to be ground fault-tolerant, which means the fire alarm will work with ground faults on the panel. It is, however, important to fix the ground fault before it damages the alarm panel. Leaving a ground fault puts stress on the charging system and will eventually shorten the battery life.
Fire alarm systems have a timer test that verifies that both phone lines are connected and able to call out. This test is conducted at least once every 24 hours. If there is a problem with the phone lines, you will receive a call from the monitoring station.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are to be inspected at least once a year, in accordance with the Title 19, California Code of Regulations. Fire extinguishers are also required to be recharged once they have been used.
Fire extinguishers can only be serviced and certified by an individual who holds a license from the State Fire Marshal and who is employed by a company that also holds a license by the State Fire Marshal. Title 19 makes a provision for a limited fire extinguisher servicing license for public or private entities not engaged in the business, nor performing for a fee, specific acts pursuant to section 595.5 (A) (7) of servicing their own portable fire extinguishers.
A hydrostatic test is a pressure test performed on a fire extinguisher cylinder, typically required by one or more authorities. The hydrostatic test is designed to verify the integrity of the compressed gas cylinder. Once a hydrostatic test becomes due on a fire extinguisher cylinder, that fire extinguisher is no longer authorized to be certified until the cylinder passes the required hydrostatic test.
Most fire extinguishers used today are dry chemical types. They are inexpensive while providing excellent fire protection. Dry chemical fire extinguishers do, however, leave quite a mess to clean up after they have been used. This dry chemical used in the wrong place could be disastrous. A clean agent fire extinguisher puts the fire out without leaving any residue and is ideal for computer rooms, sensitive electronic equipment, clean rooms, assembly areas, and many other situations where clean-up, and damage from dry chemicals would be an issue!
California Code of Regulations Title 19 requires monthly inspection of the fire extinguishers by the building owner, occupant, or his/her authorized agent.
Yes, we do! Fire Safety First provides complete fire extinguisher training. From video presentations on how to operate a portable fire extinguisher to in the field hands-on training, allowing the participant to extinguish a live fire. Our fire extinguisher training gives each participant the knowledge and experience to be successful if the time came to use a portable fire extinguisher.
Backflow Preventers
A backflow device is a series of check valves, and air inlet or relief valves designed to stop the backward flow of water in a water piping system. Its primary function is to protect the potable water supply (drinking water).
The State of California mandates that backflow devices be tested annually.
After the test is completed, any devices that fail would need to be repaired and re-tested to meet the minimum testing requirements.
The Health Dept. and local water purveyor will work in conjunction with each other to protect public health and the potable water supply. Once an inspection is made and there is a possible unprotected backflow condition (cross-connection), you will be asked to install an approved backflow device to eliminate the cross-connection hazard.
Shut-off valves are a critical component of an approved backflow device. If these valves leak, or are broken, there will be no way to perform an accurate test on the backflow device. These valves are in place so the required testing can be performed.
Anyone can test backflow devices, but they must first obtain a backflow tester certification/license. Anyone who completes the required course, has the required test equipment, and has shown hands-on proficiency at testing backflow devices can be certified. Having a plumbing license does not give you the authority to test and certify backflow devices. You would still have to complete the required courses.
Fire Hydrants
Public hydrants belong to the water district or city. They are responsible to test and maintain their fire hydrants. Public hydrants are what you see as you go down the street. Private hydrants are on private property. The property owner is responsible to test and maintain their hydrants per the fire code.
NFPA and local codes require property owners to exercise and operate their fire hydrants, flow test them at specified intervals, and properly paint them to identify them as private fire hydrants.
The two most common types of fire hydrants are dry barrel hydrants and wet barrel hydrants. Dry barrel fire hydrants are designed for cold weather where the water inside the barrel drains after the fire hydrant is turned off, so the water does not freeze and crack the fire hydrant. Wet barrel fire hydrants stay wet all the time and are only installed in areas that do not have freezing temperatures.
The fire hydrant control valve is specifically installed to isolate each individual fire hydrant. These valves must be identified and located so proper maintenance and or emergency shut down, can be performed on the fire hydrant, without shutting down the whole fire protection system.
Public fire hydrants that you see on the streets have no requirements on the color. A city or water district can pick a color of their choosing. On the other hand, private fire hydrants are required to be painted red. A red fire hydrant lets fire department personnel know they are connecting to a private fire protection system.
Fire hydrants can be difficult to be seen at night. The blue reflective hydrant marker’s sole purpose is to help the fire department save valuable time in locating fire hydrants in an emergency. These reflective markers can be seen from several hundred feet away as the light from vehicles reflects off them.
Fire Pumps
NFPA and most insurance companies require an annual performance test on the fire pump. This test is designed to put the pump through its full range of capabilities to verify that it is working properly. This performance test not only verifies the pump is working but also verifies all the ancillary components as well. Some of the functions verified will be pump output, amperage, RPM, temperature, voltage, relief valves, tank fill valves, start and stop pressures.
NFPA and most insurance companies require a diesel fire pump to be started and run weekly with a minimum run time of 30 minutes. This test does not need to be completed by a licensed contractor. Employees with proper training can handle the weekly fire pump runs.
Reliability is the primary reason. Fire pumps are costly to install and maintain, so there are driving factors on why a fire pump is installed. Once a fire pump is needed for a specific application, it now becomes the heart of the fire protection system. If the pump fails, the fire protection system would be greatly diminished or nonexistent. The 2nd fire pump helps to ensure that the fire protection system will remain viable in a fire emergency.
Relief valves are a critical component of a fire pump installation. When the fire pump turns on, it will continue to run until someone manually turns it off, or the run time is satisfied. Without the relief valve, it is likely the fire pump would overheat causing considerable damage or need for replacement. Relief valves also stop the over-pressurization of the fire protection system by relieving excess pressure.
Jockey pumps are very small pumps designed to maintain the pressure in the fire protection system. Without these small jockey pumps, the main fire pump would always turn on every time there is a drop in pressure in the fire protection system. This would cause false alarms and unnecessary activation of the fire pump.
Yes, you do! fire water storage tanks are required to be externally and internally inspected every 3 to 5 years, depending on the type of tank. Water storage tanks collect debris, sediment, and aquatic growth, which need to be cleaned out. The storage tank also needs to be inspected to verify the waterproofing or corrosion protection is doing its job, looking for signs of corrosion, rotting, or other forms of deterioration. Low and high-water alarms need to be tested along with automatic fill valves. All the functions of the water storage tank need to be properly verified to assure optimal working conditions.
Mechanical Plumbing
It is possible that you may have low pressure from the water department. However, most of the time we’ve encountered regulators that need to be rebuilt or replaced. Regulators take higher pressure and decrease it to save water. If these regulators are not maintained, they will get to a point where they will not function properly and hang up causing a pressure drop to the system.
Pumps for domestic water typically have mechanical seals on the pump shafts. If these seals begin to leak, it is as simple as replacing the seals. When seals leak for lengthy periods of time, they usually cause other problems, so it’s urgent to replace a leaking seal when detected, rather than later.
When you have varying pressures to different water fixtures in the same room, something is happening at the affected water fixture. Either a valve is broken, semi-turned off, or there is something clogging the water fixture. Many times it is a corrosion blockage that will decrease the water flow to a water fixture.
Having a noticeable pressure drop when you start to flow water could mean a variety of problems, but the two most common would be first, a valve is broken or partially closed, or second, a regulator needs to be rebuilt.
It is important to inspect the plumbing system and operate and or test specific components. Valving should be operated/exercised, relief valves exercised, regulator inspected/tested, piping inspected (if accessible).
Underground Piping
Underground piping is most likely to fail because of age. However, sometimes the failure rate is accelerated by other factors, such as electrical power in close proximity to the underground piping, water, or incorrect pipe type for the application.
Much of the cost has nothing to do with repairing the actual piping but about repairing what is above and to the sides of the piping. Asphalt or concrete must be saw cut and hauled away. Excavation equipment must be brought to the job site to remove the dirt and debris. Mud created by leak has to be hauled away. Dry dirt will then be brought in to help re-compact the affected area so new asphalt or concrete can be laid.
Many fire departments want to see a hydrostatic test all the way back to the control valve. Once there has been a failure to the underground piping, they want to verify that the rest of the existing piping will not fail in an emergency.
A corrosion inhibitor is a coating that is applied to the metallic fittings and piping that will stop or slow the corrosion process.
Many times, water can travel underground before breaking to the surface where visible. Sometimes an underground leak can be hundreds of feet away from where it comes out of the ground. A leak detection company will pinpoint exactly where a leak is located so time and money are not wasted guessing where the leak might be.
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