commercial fire alarm inspections Archives

Proper Maintenance, Testing and Inspection Are The Best Actions For Ensuring Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Works When Needed

Installing a commercial fire alarm system in your business is a significant investment. As with any major business investment it is critical that it is in proper working order each and every day. The only way to achieve this level of performance and reliability is to have it properly maintained, inspected and tested. Continue reading “Proper Maintenance, Testing and Inspection Are The Best Actions For Ensuring Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Works When Needed “

Improper Maintenance And Inspection Are The Leading Cause For Failure Of Commercial Fire Alarm Systems

When commercial fire alarm systems are not properly maintained, they become prone to failures that can cost lives and increase the amount of damage a property can sustain. When it comes to commercial fire alarm operation, an ounce of prevention is most definitely easier than a pound of cure when the only cure involves recovering from massive losses and injuries following a fire. Continue reading “Improper Maintenance And Inspection Are The Leading Cause For Failure Of Commercial Fire Alarm Systems”

Fire Is The Worst Nightmare Of Any Business Owner So Protect Your Hard Work By Ensuring Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Inspections Are Up To Date

The amount of damage and loss that occurs with fire can never be replaced. A fire also threatens the safety of employees and in some cases your customers. A fire can literally ruin your business or cause horrific human loss. The best way to prevent this type of loss and cure those nightmares is to ensure your commercial fire alarm system inspections are performed properly and timely.

Benefits of Commercial Fire Alarm Inspections

Most businesses have a commercial fire alarm system. In addition, when you construct a new commercial building, you will be required to install a commercial fire alarm system. Along with installing the correct commercial fire alarm system, you will also be required to schedule regular commercial fire alarm system inspections. Performing the required commercial fire alarm system inspections helps ensure the system is working properly. You do not want to discover a malfunction when you need the system to identify a fire threat. Commercial fire alarm system inspections will make sure your system is working properly to help minimize losses in the event of a fire and to make sure everyone has a chance to leave your building safely.

Other Safety Procedures

Commercial fire alarm system inspections ensure your system is properly working and will alert you at the first sign of fire. During this time other safety procedures are reviewed in your building. A fire alarm inspection will also make sure there are no blocked doorways, and that fire exits are clearly posted. A professional fire alarm inspector will make sure you have enough exits from your building and that you do not exceed the maximum occupancy. During their inspection, it is also checked to ensure there are no highly flammable substances placed in dangerous areas and that your extinguishers are placed correctly.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area – coast to coast – with new projects starting in Colorado

The team at 1st Alarm understands that you will have many burning questions on your mind when it comes time to choose the right commercial fire alarm system to protect your property. As a business owner, you know the importance of early fire detection and how it can save you from completely losing your property. 1st Alarm understands the importance as well and will be there for you 24/7 to ensure you are protected. We will also help you to create a fire safety policy for your employees to reduce injuries and prevent human loss should a fire occur. With 1st Alarm and an advanced commercial fire alarm system, you ensure your business is prepared adequately in the event a fire should happen in your business place.

1st Alarm’s ongoing, upcoming and completed Commercial Fire Alarm and low voltage application projects support businesses from coast to coast with some of our most recent projects supporting businesses in Colorado. Contact us to learn more about the myriad of ways our fire alarm monitoring can protect your business. We will be happy to answer your questions and help you determine the best systems and monitoring plan for your budget and operational needs.

1st Alarm is one of the biggest and best security companies in the region that specializes in both residential and commercial alarm systems as well as commercial fire alarm systems. We pride ourselves on buying local and hiring local whenever possible. We are committed to offering high quality, professional service with the utmost level of integrity. 1st Alarm is the best commercial fire alarm system company in your region as well. We have personnel trained and certified to meet your fire alarm system needs. To learn more about how our commercial fire alarm systems, commercial security systems or home security systems may be a great fit for you, Request a Quote online or give us a call at 800-276-5559.

Warnings From A Commercial Fire Alarm System Could Prevent Serious Injuries Or Even Death

A commercial fire alarm system will provide warning of a danger to occupants so they have time to evacuate a property and prevent serious injuries or even death. Technology has made it possible for these systems to pinpoint the exact location of the heat or smoke that’s of concern inside your building. There are some older versions of fire alarm systems still in use which may be using buzzers or belt methods. If you are interested in updating or inspecting your fire alarm system, contact 1st Alarm Fire Today.

Inspecting Commercial Fire Alarm Systems

Local authorities and insurance carriers require routine inspections of commercial fire alarm systems. As a business owner, you are responsible for scheduling and ensuring these inspections are carried out within the specified time frame. An inspection by a certified technician will give you confirmation that your system and all its components are in proper working condition. The technician will also make sure there has been no damage to your system or anything that would impair its operation. With each inspection, you should also compile documentation that the system and its components have been checked and found to be in proper working condition.

When to Schedule Commercial Fire Alarm System Inspection

Having a schedule for your inspections and following through with them is vital to catching problems before they become costly repairs. There are some components of a commercial fire alarm system that should be inspected monthly or even weekly, but full system checks should be scheduled quarterly, semiannually or at the very minimum annually. Check with your local authorities or insurance carrier as they may have time limits on the intervals between inspections.

Testing Your Commercial Fire Alarm System

Inspecting your commercial fire alarm system involves running operational tests to make sure the smoke detectors, batteries, and notification appliances are performing correctly. The sensitivity of the smoke detectors is verified, the audibility of the notification system is checked, and batteries are checked for corrosion and expiration date. When all the components and the full system has been checked and verified, you should receive a complete report from the technician stating all steps of inspection have been conducted.

Maintaining Your Commercial Fire Alarm System

It is easy to overlook maintenance of your commercial fire alarm system if you aren’t experiencing any difficulties with its operation. The problem with not performing routine maintenance of your system means there could be small issues developing that could turn into serious repairs. 1st Alarm Fire can discuss a maintenance schedule with you to keep your system in top working condition.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area – coast to coast – with new projects starting in Colorado

Keeping Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Working Properly Requires Routine Inspections

Commercial fire alarm systems are designed as a quick-response method to alert you and the occupants of your building of a threat so a safe evacuation can be done. A commercial fire alarm system inspection needs to be performed by specialists who understand how the systems work and know what to look for as far as possible malfunctions. Below is the typical process that is followed to make sure your system is operating correctly.

Report Inspection Times to Local Authorities

The fire alarm inspectors need to notify your local emergency response team that they will be performing an inspection of your commercial fire alarm system. During the inspection, it will be necessary to test the operation of the alerts and emergency services need to be aware they are not needed to report to the property, that it is a test of the equipment.

Two Technicians will Perform Inspection

When you schedule the inspection of your commercial fire alarm system, you can expect two technicians to arrive at your property. One of the two will station him or herself by the fire alarm panel and the other will proceed into the interior to test and inspect fire alarm horns, smoke detectors, pull-down stations, and strobes. When they test one of these horns or detectors, the technician stationed by the panel will ensure it is activated.

Where to Begin

If you have a multiple story building, the technicians will start their inspections on the top floor. If there is an attic to your property, this will be the beginning floor. By beginning at the top floor, the technician can work his or her way down, testing all pull-stations and smoke detectors along the way.

How the Smoke Detectors are Inspected

There is a special tool used for inspecting smoke detectors. The end of the tool resembles a cup with an aerosol can that contains a spray to imitate smoke. When this solution is released, the smoke detector should consider it smoke and activate. If the detectors are high this tool is used as a pole-type unit, and for detectors within reach, the technician can use a funnel-type tool to spray the same solution. This activation should be recorded on the fire panel being monitored by the other technician.

How to Inspect the Pull-Down Alarm Stations

Just as you would expect, the pull-down alarm stations are inspected by pulling the handle. The technician at the control panel will verify that notification showed with the pull and the station can then be reset. Generally, before pulling the handle, the technician will deactivate strobes and horns to minimize the disturbance to others in the building. Inspecting of the strobes and horns is performed separately.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area – coast to coast – with new projects starting in Colorado

Testing And Inspections Are Necessary To Ensure Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Functions Properly When Needed

The testing and inspection requirements for a commercial fire alarm system are set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA-72). Testing does more than just allowing a business to stay in business. It ensures that your commercial fire alarm system will function properly when needed if and when a fire threat is present. NFPA standards establish regulations regarding each testing and inspection requirements for a commercial fire alarm system. Failing to adhere to these standards can have serious consequences including revocation of certificate of occupancy, cancellation of insurance policies, denial of claims, and exposure to both civil and criminal liability if a fire breaks out. Perhaps just as important is the potential for property damage, personal injuries, or wrongful deaths.

Testing requirements for your commercial fire alarm system

For a commercial fire alarm system connected to a supervising station, testing must be performed for all of the fire alarm system functions, fuses, interfaces, lamps/LEDs, power supplies, and transponders on an annual basis. These testing requirements also include batteries, fiber-optic power cables, control units, and annunciators. For a commercial fire alarm system that is not connected to a supervising station, testing must be performed for the fire alarm system functions, fuses, interfaces, LEDs/lamps, power supplies including batteries and cables, and transponders on a quarterly basis.

Supervising station fire alarms must be tested monthly including the digital alarm communication receiver, digital alarm radio receiver, McCulloh system, two-way RF multiplex, radio alarm supervising station receiver, private microwave, and radio alarm repeater station receiver.

Inspection requirements for your commercial fire alarm system

Semi-annual inspections are required for radiant energy fire detectors, water flow devices, valve tamper switches, and batteries.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area – coast to coast – with new projects starting in Colorado

The Only Way To Ensure Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Is In Proper Working Order Is To Properly Accomplish Maintenance, Testing and Inspection

Maintenance

Don’t trust the maintenance of your commercial fire alarm system to inexperienced personnel. An untrained individual may overlook important details. Put your trust in knowledgeable and qualified service people to maintain your alarm system in a way that will protect your employees and building assets.

Testing

Prior to conducting fire alarm system testing make sure you notify your employees or others in the building. This will help to avoid confusion during a test as well as in an actual emergency. Don’t trust the testing of your commercial fire alarm system to anyone. Put your trust in knowledgeable and qualified service people to test your commercial fire alarm system in a way that will protect your employees and building assets.

Inspections

Your commercial fire alarm system should be inspected when it is installed and then at periodic and regular intervals as long as you have the system. Don’t trust these critical inspections to untrained personnel. Put your trust in knowledgeable and qualified service people to inspect your commercial fire alarm system in a way that will protect your employees and building assets.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area – coast to coast – with new projects starting in Colorado

Regular Testing Of Your Commercial Fire Alarm System Helps Ensure It Will Function Properly If And When It Is Needed

Regular testing of your commercial fire alarm system helps identify flaws and faults in the system to ensure that if a fire occurs, the system will function as designed. Commercial fire alarm systems are not flawless and over time parts can wear out, sensors can become blocked, and wires come loose. Regular testing is not only a good idea, it is required by law.

National Fire Protection Association Standards for testing and inspection

NFPA standards require business owners to conduct numerous tests and inspections of both monitored and unmonitored systems. For monitored systems, a weekly inspection of interfaces, LED’s, etc. Each quarter, the NFPA standards require testing of switches/tamper switches. Twice a year, batteries must be tested for swelling, loose connections, and voltage. Among other things, this testing helps ensure that batteries will function properly should power loss occur. Once every year, testing must be conducted on the panel to ensure that LED’s, fuses, etc. are operating properly. Annual testing is also required on battery chargers and batteries. Annual inspections must also be conducted of horns, sirens, strobe lights, bells, and other audio elements of the system. Smoke detectors and smoke detectors must also be inspected and cleaned to ensure that debris build up won’t prevent an alarm from triggering.

Regular testing and NFPA recommendations

In addition to regular testing requirements, the NFPA has issued a number of recommendations to business owners in regard to system maintenance and inspection. These include replacing lead-acid batteries at least once every five years or at such times when the batteries no longer hold a charge. Smoke detectors and heat sensors should be regularly cleaned, and cleaned with increasing frequency if dust/debris are present in the rooms where they are positioned. Likewise, these should be replaced at least once every 10 years.

Regular testing is a must

Fire alarm systems are a complicated arrangement of components. If even one component within this chain fails, it can cause a failure of the entire system. When that happens an otherwise controllable fire can rage and leave considerable destruction in its wake. Testing doesn’t take long to complete. A certified technician can complete the necessary tests and provide a detailed report to a business owner in a short amount of time.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area – coast to coast – with new projects starting in Colorado

Why Commercial Fire Alarm System Inspections Are Important

The singular reason that commercial fire alarm system inspections are so important is that otherwise they may not provide protection when a fire begins to smolder. Thorough commercial fire alarm system inspections require inspecting the system for signs of damage as well as testing electronics and other components to ensure they are functioning the way they are intended. Failing to inspect, test and maintain your commercial fire alarm system in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines can lead to legal liability and negate insurance coverage in the event of a fire.

Start by inspecting for signs of damage

Visual commercial fire alarm system inspections should take place at least once every month. Any components that are damaged by wear and tear or otherwise damaged should be refurbished or replaced immediately.

Make sure your commercial fire alarm system inspections are performed by trained professionals

It is critical to have your commercial fire alarm system inspections and electronics testing performed by a trained professional. Part of the commercial fire alarm system inspection and testing will require the inspector to simulate inputs, interfaces, and test the annunciators to ensure they have the proper sensitivity and relay the appropriate warning signals. The inspection of the electronic components will also entail coordinating the test with the local fire department and alarm monitoring company to ensure the signals are accurately relayed and received.

Don’t rely on shortcuts

It is not uncommon for companies to attempt to perform their commercial fire alarm system inspections in house in order to save time and money. While this might initially save money, it can cost lives in the long run. When untrained or inexperienced personnel conduct these inspections, tests and repairs; their actions or lack of can negate warranties and expose the property owner to legal liability.

Put Your Trust in 1st Alarm, the most Reliable Commercial Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Testing and Monitoring Company in your area

1st Alarm knows how to protect our clients from the dangers of fire and the damage it can cause. Our fire alarm monitoring services protect businesses throughout Texas and across the country. Contact us to learn more about the myriad of ways our fire alarm monitoring can protect your business. We will be happy to answer your questions and help you determine the best systems and monitoring plan for your budget and operational needs.

Commercial Fire Alarm System Inspections Are The Cure For Business Owner Nightmares

Fire is the worst nightmare of any business owner. The amount of damage and loss that occurs with fire can never be replaced. A fire also threatens the safety of employees and in some cases your customers. A fire can literally ruin your business or cause horrific human loss. The best way to prevent this type of loss and cure those nightmares is to ensure your commercial fire alarm system inspections are performed properly and timely.