Have you ever thought about the importance of competency in our profession? When you are asked to review an existing fire alarm system for a repair or upgrade, is the competency of the original designer and installer evident? Have you ever asked yourself during such a review, where were these guys trained?

All too often, I am called in to evaluate a system where it is evident the designer or installer, or both, were not trained properly.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

The code requires that a designer be competent in fire alarm system applications and design, but how can an owner or authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) ensure the designer’s competency? Ask questions!

Unfortunately, the AHJ rarely questions the designer. Sometimes they will assume the designer is competent because the designer has “been in the business” for some period and therefore “must” know what they are doing. This is most assuredly a wrong assumption.

The designer may have one year’s experience repeated several times. Or, they may only have experience with single-family residential fire alarm systems and lack experience with high-rise or industrial systems. Obviously, it is in the best interests of the owner and AHJ to question the type and extent of the designer’s experience. And you, who may be subcontracting with the fire alarm contactor, should ensure the questions are asked (before involving an owner or AHJ).

Fire alarm system installers often design systems, or licensed electrical or fire protection engineers may do it, depending on local or state requirements. Although it is my opinion that a fire protection engineer is the most qualified to properly design a fire alarm system, the AHJ is truly the one who must be satisfied that the designer is (or should be) competent.

Regardless of who designs the fire alarm system, scaled drawings of the building with device, appliance and equipment locations must be submitted to the AHJ for review. The AHJ also needs a system narrative or operational description to understand the system design and its operation.

As I have stated in these columns before, judging a design submittal should not be difficult. We all know quality when we see it. Conversely, if the design is submitted on a paper napkin (this has happened!), you might want to question the designer’s competence.

How does an owner or AHJ determine the installer’s competency?

NFPA 72-2025 offers requirements and guidance on determining the installer’s competency. Installation personnel shall be supervised by people who are qualified and experienced in the installation, inspection and testing of fire alarm systems. As described in Section 10.5.2.3, “Personnel shall provide documentation of their qualification by one or more of the following:

(1) Registration, licensing, or certification by a state or local authority

(2) Certification by an organization acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction

(3) Certification by the manufacturer(s) of the specific equipment used in the system.”

The code does not mention whether there is a priority to the items listed above. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of an installer’s competency is their factory training on the equipment they will be installing or servicing.

Factory training

If an installer professes to “know all about” a specific brand of equipment, the AHJ or owner should simply ask to see proof of factory training. It is often easier to determine that the installer is employed by an authorized distributor for the manufacturer or by the manufacturer directly. Then, the assumption that installer or technician is factory trained is more qualified.

The importance of factory training becomes increasingly important as we specify and install the more sophisticated programmable fire alarm systems. This fact became crystal clear to me at a recent test of a sophisticated fire alarm system installation. Apparently, the distributor’s engineering personnel had not clearly read the specifications and did not design the specified equipment to conform to the specified sequence of operation. The on-site technician, because of his extensive factory training, was able to reconfigure the hardware and software without holding up the acceptance tests and issuance of the certificate of occupancy.

In this case, the technician was factory trained and they had several years of experience with the specific brand of equipment being installed. He understood the nuances of the equipment operation and therefore was able to keep the acceptance test moving forward without so much as a hiccup. Because the fire alarm system is the “last” system to be finished in new construction, it is one of the few systems that can hold up issuance of the certificate of occupancy.

So how important is competency? I think you now know the answer. Competency will make the difference between a quality, reliable installation and one that false alarms regularly—or worse, will not work when you need it!

If you are a contractor relying on a fire alarm company, don’t be afraid to ask questions of the designer or installer. If you are a designer or installer, don’t take offense when asked for proof of your competence. Instead, make your qualifications known upfront. Set yourself apart from the competition. And meet the challenge of competency head on.