The first step in protecting your business, facility and employees from a fire is a well-maintained fire sprinkler system. The fire sprinkler system buys time by suppressing the fire until firefighters arrive to extinguish it; however, your sprinkler system needs to be properly tested, inspected and maintained to ensure it can operate in the time you need it the most.
Fire sprinkler systems may not function when needed – a system could have any number of issues, such as depleted pressure, city feed issue, frozen parts of the system or sticky valves. These are all common issues that could occur; yet, one would never be aware of any of these issues if the system were not maintained properly until an emergency arises.
In the event of a fire, every second counts. Having a properly functioning fire sprinkler system can mean the difference between protecting your most important assets and losing months of business operation time to repairs.
NFPA 25 is the baseline for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems. Compliance maximizes system integrity to avoid failure and ultimately ensure fast, effective response in a fire emergency. Furthermore:
The Standard governs the periodic inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems including land-based and marine applications. Requirements are provided for standpipe systems including hose outlets, fire pumps, sprinklers, fire service piping, and valves, along with system impairment handling and reporting.
Koorsen’s wet, dry, pre-action and deluge sprinkler systems have weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual components testing and inspection requirements. For instance, gauges and values have to be inspected weekly to make sure pressure is in the system and valves are open. This is where a partnership with a fire protection company becomes so valuable: Maintenance requirements can be extremely daunting. Trust Koorsen to take care of the details, so you can take care of your business.
Why do these inspections and maintenance requirements matter so much to you and your business? In the event of a fire, the short amount of time, even just minutes, are crucial. With a properly functioning sprinkler system, you will suffer less property damage, a shorter interruption to your business and reduced insurance premiums.
Following the proper testing and inspection process by maintaining a set schedule for testing and inspection of the systems within their facility can truly mean the difference between ensuring the safety of your employees, customers and property and learning too late that your sprinkler system suffers a maintenance issue. To make sure your business is complying with NFPA 25 and/or set up routine sprinkler system inspections, speak with a Koorsen associate.
