Fire Alarm Inspections

Fire Safety

Protect your teams from fire risks by staying on top of compliance with safety regulations, anticipating hazards, and cultivating a culture of safety.

No matter which type of business you own or manage, your commercial fire alarm systems must be inspected, tested, and maintained by a fire protection company in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association Standards – NFPA 72, Chapter 14. Though inspection requirement intervals may vary depending on your fire alarm equipment and the rules imposed by your local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), the NFPA Standards for quarterly, semi-annual, and annual fire alarm inspection are universal.

Fire Alarm Inspection Requirements

The following is a general commercial fire alarm inspection guide to help you and your staff with recommended and required equipment inspections and testing.

To get the complete NFPA Standard guide, be sure to click here or simply download AIE’s free Fire Alarm Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance checklist, which includes the NFPA’s requirements.

How Often Should Fire Alarms be Inspected by Professionals?

How often each fire alarm system and its components need to be visually inspected and functionally tested is dependent on the types of systems in your warehouses, distribution centers, retail stores, grocery stores, big box stores, restaurants, and other multi-site facilities.

Commercial alarm systems include a wide range of life safety solutions engineered to detect and alert occupants to many different life-threatening and property-damaging hazards in addition to fire – carbon monoxide poisoning, leaky pipes, severe weather, and active shooters, for example.

Thorough visual inspections and physical testing of the components of your fire alarm system must occur weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, every five and 10 years, according to the NFPA Standards and your AHJ rules. Semi-annual, annual, five-year, and 10-year fire alarm inspections must be performed by licensed fire protection technicians.

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IPGSM Install Apartments Sprinkler Monitoring

Common Issues Found During Inspections

In-house inspectors and third-party technicians should be prepared for problems that usually arise when they do routine checks or in-depth system evaluations so that they can implement preventive controls and corrective actions.

Some of the most prevalent problems identified during fire alarm inspections include the following:

Battery failures – This is the most common issue noted by inspectors. Hence, companies should have a ready supply of backup power units to maintain system operability.

System malfunctions – Faulty wiring, sensor malfunctions, and control panel errors are common observations during inspections.

Aging equipment – Aside from the fact that everything goes through wear and tear, older systems won’t function as reliably as the new ones. Organizations should be ready to replace components if reconditioning isn’t possible.

Environmental factors – Dust, dirt, and extreme temperatures can affect the performance of fire alarm components. Aside from cleaning the components, investing in environmental sensors may help ensure that sensitive equipment and electronics are kept in optimal temperature and humidity.

Improper placement of fire detection equipment – Smoke and heat detectors should be properly positioned and unobstructed since these are critical for early warning and timely response. Manual pulls should also be visible to everyone in the facility. Including these little tidbits during fire safety trainingcan help prevent this problem.

J.M Security offers more Access Control products than are listing on this page. for a fill line of option avialble are based on your property.

How Long Does a Fire Alarm Inspection Take?

Weekly visual checks of the system don’t take long. Security and maintenance teams can even include this during their rounds or add it to their daily task list. On the other hand, detailed inspections may last from three hours to a day, depending on the facility’s size and system complexity.

Conducting the latter may take long. However, everyone should remember that a properly functioning fire alarm system can detect fires early. This is the key to avoiding injuries, preventing loss of life, and minimizing property damage.

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Annunciator – ANN-80 White

The ANN-80 annunciator is a compact,

backlit, 80-character LCD fire annunciator that mimics the Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) display.

It provides system status indicators for AC Power, Alarm, Trouble, Supervisory, and Alarm Silenced conditions. The ANN-80 and the FACP communicate over a two-wire serial interface employing the ANN-BUS communication format. Connected devices are powered, via two additional wires, by either the host FACP or a remote UL-listed, filtered power supply. ANN-80 is red.

Annunciator – LCD-80F

The LCD-80F is a compact, 80-character,

backlit LCD remote Fire Annunciator for use with the Fire•Lite MS-9200 Series and MS-9600 Series Fire Alarm Control Panels (FACPs).

The LCD-80F displays complete system point status information and includes control switches for remote control of critical system functions.

System Sensor AV

System Sensor AV Notification Appliances

System Sensor’s AV notification devices are the most versatile, easy to install, and cohesive line of audible visible (AV) notification appliances in the industry. System Sensor greatly simplifies the specification, configuration, and installation of your notification project by providing a plug-in design, aesthetic and functional consistency, and field-adjustable settings across the entire line. Whether for fire alarm systems, emergency communications systems, mass notification systems, general signaling, directional sound, or voice evacuation systems, System Sensor enables you to save time and money while meeting the widest range of notification codes and requirements. Look for the L-Series products in the following subcategories: Accessories, Chimes, Chime Strobes, ECS and MNS, Horns, Horn Strobes, Speakers, Speaker Strobes, and Strobes.

HWF2A-COM

HWF2A-COM / HWF2V-COM LTE Fire Communicators

Honeywell’s HWF2-COM Series LTE / IP fire communicators are single or dual path commercial fire alarm communicators that offer contact ID reporting with any fire alarm control panel (FACP) with a built in dialer. These easy to install communicators offer three selectable reporting paths which include LTE Cellular only, IP only, or IP primary/LTE cellular backup.

MS-25(E) Rev. 2

MS-25(E) Rev. 2 – 25 Point Intelligent Control

The MS-25 is a 25-point fire alarm control panel designed to provide a cost-effective addressable solution to meet even the smallest specification. Unlike other small panels, the MS-25 is a full featured, addressable alternative…at a conventional panel price. It runs on only a single loop of standard wire, provides pin-point identification and includes maintenance alerts and auto-programming. The MS-25 supports any combination of its own HFS detectors and modules or equivalent Fire-Lite addressable devices.

Annunciator – ANN-100

The ANN-100 annunciator is a backlit,

80-character LCD fire annunciator that mimics the Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) display. It provides system status indicators for AC Power, Alarm, Trouble, Supervisory, and Alarm Silenced conditions. The ANN-100 and the FACP communicate over a two-wire serial interface employing the ANN-BUS communication format. Connected devices are powered, via two additional wires, by either the host FACP or a remote UL-listed, filtered power supply. ANN-100 is red. Approved for use in Canada.

Annunciators – ANN-80 Red

The ANN-80 annunciator is a compact, backlit,

80-character LCD fire annunciator that mimics the Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) display.

Control Panel

Control Panel ES-200X

The Endurance Series ES-200X is a 198-point addressable fire alarm control panel that offers built-in dual path communications, programmable buttons and support for combined fire and CO addressable detection.

SD365 Series

SD365 Series Addressable Photoelectric Smoke Detectors

The Fire-Lite SD365 Series addressable plug-in smoke detectors are designed for both performance and aesthetics. A new modern, sleek, contemporary design and enhanced optical sensing chamber are engineered to sense smoke produced by a wide range of combustion sources in accordance with more stringent code standards. Models include the SD365(A) photo detector, SD365T(A) photo thermal detector and SD365R(A) remote test capable detector for use with DNR(A)/DNRW. Available in both white (LiteSpeed protocol only) and ivory (CLIP and LiteSpeed protocols)

Fire Alarm Inspections