Would you rather have a commercial building with a well-maintained fire sprinkler system or risk your company’s safety in the event of a fire? A fire suppression system can help protect your company’s property and assets from fire damage. More importantly, it has the potential to save lives.
What is a fire sprinkler system?
The following are the main components of a fire sprinkler system in a building:
a source of water
Water distribution pipes
Sprinkler heads have been put in the walls and ceilings of the building.
To manage or extinguish a fire, fire sprinkler systems disseminate water in the affected areas. These systems are designed to cover the maximum feasible area when installed. Heat-activated fire sprinklers release water and sound an alarm when they detect an interior temperature above a specified threshold.
Why do fire sprinkler systems sometimes fail?
Thousands of multifamily homes and businesses rely on fire sprinkler systems to keep them safe. When these systems fail, it’s critical to understand why.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), over 600 sprinkler system failures occur each year. The good news is that properly maintained fire sprinkler systems work more than 95% of the time and are quite effective in suppressing most flames.
When fire sprinkler systems fail, the following are the most common causes:
- Manual intervention
- Damaged sprinklers
- System controls
- Poor system design
- Lack of proper maintenance
You may simply avoid most of these problems by inspecting your fire safety system on a regular basis. Inspections should be done on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, according to the NFPA.
Monthly Fire Sprinkler System Inspections
- The following should be confirmed during a monthly fire sprinkler system inspection:
- Appropriate valves are accessible, accurately labelled, and leak-free.
- Wet gauges indicate that the water pressure is correct and that they are in good working order.
- The quick-opening mechanism and the dry pipe valve both indicate the same pressure on dry gauges, which shows ordinary water pressure.
Quarterly Fire Sprinkler System Inspections
- The following items should be included in a quarterly fire sprinkler system inspection:
- Check for physical damage to the supervisory alarm and the water flow alarm.
- Verify that all fire department connections are accessible.
- Make sure there are no leaks in any of the fire department’s connections.
- Examine pressure-reducing valves for leaks and ensure that downstream pressure is maintained.
Annual Fire Sprinkler System Inspections
In addition to the elements listed above, a yearly fire sprinkler system inspection should involve a professional inspection for tagging and documentation by a qualified code-compliance inspector.
For occupant safety and property protection, every commercial property owner is responsible for keeping fire sprinkler systems in good working order.
