NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, requires owners to test and maintain their systems at least annually, or quarterly for some occupancies.

Maintaining fire alarm system equipment can be challenging, depending on several factors including equipment age, ambient environment, building changes/upgrades and product recalls. Another issue occurs when the original systems were not code-compliant at the time of installation. I have frequently seen fire alarm systems installed with equipment the local supplier had “on the shelf” for a long time that was no longer supported by the manufacturer.

How you address these challenges determines your profitability and reputation as a trusted advisor supplying fire alarm systems maintenance.

Age of the equipment

All fire alarm system equipment has the manufacture date on it. Some equipment may require a call to the manufacturer to decipher the coding system but, in most cases, the equipment’s age can be easily ascertained. Knowing the equipment’s age helps in determining how difficult it will be to maintain and gives an idea of when an upgrade will be necessary. It’s best to build a relationship with the owner based on “no surprises,” and in the case of a fire alarm system upgrade or replacement, give the owner time to develop a budget to accomplish the work.

Before submitting a quote for maintenance, it is important to “walk the system” to identify any damaged components and, more importantly, determine the effect of the ambient environment on the system, especially smoke detectors. If the ambient environment is very dusty, expect false alarms (especially from smoke detectors, and if they are in questionable and excessively dirty areas). This issue will add the cost of regular cleaning of the detectors. This investigation will inevitably reveal a problem, and the solution may be to relocate or replace a device or add a different one to accommodate any special or changed construction issues. An owner may add a wall or similarly change a space in a way that warrants installing additional devices such as a horn/strobe, manual pull station or smoke detector.

If the smoke detectors are 10 or more years old, check with the manufacturer to ensure it has the exact replacement units in stock and for how long, should you need them. Otherwise, a fire alarm control unit upgrade may be needed to accommodate future replacement smoke detectors.

Adequate audible appliances

Another issue to pay attention to during the on-site system review is whether there is a sufficient number of audible appliances to comply with NFPA 72 audibility requirements. The requirement that all audible alarm appliances provide at least 15 dBA above ambient noise throughout the building’s occupied spaces has been in the code since at least the 1999 edition. If you are unsure about audibility compliance, explain your concerns to the owner with a proposal for the cost to do a sound level performance test.

One of the more difficult challenges with system maintenance occurs when the survey reveals a non-code-compliant situation, such as low-audibility alarm levels or missing detection devices. In this case, you have an obligation to notify the owner. Never assume that just because the building is occupied, the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) approved the incorrect installation. Perhaps the current AHJ was not involved in the system review, or a previous one, perhaps retired, gave preliminary approval pending correction of the issues and never followed through.

Regardless, treat the issue as you discovered it and refer to the applicable code section. Generally, the owner will be unaware of the issue and not welcome the news. They may ask you to just quote on the inspection, testing and maintenance of the system without correcting the non-code-compliant problem. 

I encourage you not to accept that request. Once you become the maintenance company of record, lawyers will say you “own” the system and should have corrected it. That will manifest in any future litigation regarding questions about the fire alarm system’s operation during a fire and the part played by the non-code-compliant issue in the system’s faulty operation.

To transfer that liability back to the owner, provide a letter indicating the system’s non-code-compliance and the cost to bring the system into compliance. If the owner chooses not to have you do the work, then they “own” the liability.

You are maintaining the customer’s fire alarm/life safety system in good working order. You can overcome the challenges with a little diligence.

stock.adobe.com / monitor6