What Property Managers Need to Know About Life Fire Safety Inspections
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 28, 2014 -- Life Safety Annual inspections by Aura Fire Safety, Inc. (AFS) include your fire sprinkler system, fire alarm, fire extinguishers, emergency lights, backflow, and fire pump. Your AFS Specialist will provide you with a report indicating if your annual inspection passed or of any corrections that are necessary. These inspections vary in type and frequency, depending on the jurisdiction, city, and state.
Peace of mind is priceless for managers who are responsible for the integrity of a Life Fire Safety system that is 100% operational and reliable in the event of any emergency.
Here is what you need to know about your Life Fire Safety inspection requirements:
Your fire extinguishers are required to be annually inspected per NFPA Title 19 Article 3 Section 575.1. Your annual fire extinguisher inspection is an important step in insuring your extinguisher will operate correctly in case of an emergency. Your AFS Specialist will be looking to make sure that there are no obstructions to the fire extinguisher, that the operating label is visible and not damaged, and that your gauge is in the green.
Your fire sprinkler system is to be annually inspected in accordance with NFPA 25, Chapter 5 as amended by Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations. Your fire sprinkler system is an active protection measure that when a single sprinkler head goes off due to a fire, will supply that area with water protection. The importance of your annual fire sprinkler inspection is to insure that your water supply to your fire sprinkler system is uncompromised, your sprinkler heads will operate accordingly, and that your indicating devices (Fire Bell or Horn Strobes) work correctly.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) mandates that your fire alarm systems in protected premises be tested regularly. In addition, local fire codes and insurance companies may require more frequent testing. Your fire alarm system is a device designed to alert people from visual and audio alarms when smoke/fire is present. These alarms may be activated from smoke detectors, heat detectors, or from a fire alarm pull station. AFS, Inc. staff of trained technicians can annually or semi-annually inspect your fire alarm system to insure that in the event of a fire your system will detect the fire and alert anyone in your building to evacuate.
Your fire pump is required to be annually tested per NFPA 25, Chapter 8 as amended by title 19 of the California Code of Regulations. Your fire pump is needed when the local municipal water system cannot provide sufficient pressure to meet the hydraulic design requirements of the fire sprinkler system. This usually occurs if the building is very tall, such as in high-rise buildings, or in systems that require a relatively high terminal pressure at the fire sprinkler in order to provide a large volume of water, such as in storage warehouses. Your annual inspection will consist of running your fire pump at various speeds to determine it is still running and pushing out water at the proper volume to meet your fire sprinkler needs.
Your backflow preventer is required to be annually tested per California Code of Regulations Title 17 (17CCR). Your local water department in your area is responsible for delivering water that meets federal standards. The water they deliver to your building is treated and tested to verify it is clean safe water. Once the water goes into your building they no longer have control over the water, your backflow preventer is important because it keeps your fire sprinkler water from going back into your domestic water line and contaminating it. To insure that it is working properly an AFS Specialist will perform an annual test which will determine if your backflow preventer is working as intended.
Case Study
The Situation:
Progress Foundation (PF) (http://www.progressfoundation.org/) is a management company in California specializing in housing programs for individuals with mental disabilities. PF foundation called for an emergency repair of a leaking sprinkler system valve in one of their properties.
The Solution:
Managing risk and assuring the residents and properties they manage are protected is a critical aspect of PF business. Upon repairing the leaking valve AFS team offered to inspect ALL Life Fire Safety equipment to ensure it will function as designed, including fire alarm, sprinkler, backflow prevention, fire pump, fire extinguishers and emergency exit lights.
The Value:
Because all Life Fire Safety equipment was actually due for annual certification AFS team promptly performed required testing and corrections and fully certified the property.
Aura Fire Safety Inc. is committed to protect your most valuable asset that of people and property in office complexes, high-rise facilities, residential communities, warehouses, and distribution centers.
Keeping up to date with your Life Safety annual inspections is essential to us at AFS Inc. Please contact us to conduct your next annual inspection today! We proudly serve our community and provide inspection, design and installation services of all life safety systems. Contact Aurafiresafety.com or give us a call at (415) 367-4583 today. Let us put our experience to work for you.
Read more about NFPA regulations here: http://osfm.fire.ca.gov
Vladi Aura, Aura Fire Safety, http://aurafiresafety.com/, (415) 881-4402, [email protected]
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