Semi-Annual vs. Annual Fire Alarm Inspections & Testing


Are you a building owner or a facility manager of a commercial building or a company? Then, you probably have a lot on your plate to maintain your building.  

A particular responsibility of yours that should be considered while maintaining the building is inspecting and testing your fire alarm systems in Glendora and other locations. We all know that fire alarms are necessary to ensure your fire alarms will trigger when needed. It will warn your building occupants that they need to escape safely, that too quickly.  


Fire Alarm Inspection & Testing Frequency  


You may know that the NFPA 72 and local jurisdictions set fire alarm inspections and testing frequency. Usually, fire alarms should be inspected according to the following frequency:  

  • Monthly  
  • Semi-Annually  
  • Annually  


Difference Between Semi-Annual & Annual Inspections  


Usually, annual fire alarm inspections are much more rigorous compared to semi-annual fire alarm inspections. During an annual inspection, the performance of the entire system is tested. On the contrary, a semi-annual inspection is less involved and comprises a quicker check of the alarm components.  


What Happens During a Semi-Annual Alarm Inspection?  


Normally, semi-annual fire alarm inspections and testing include:  

  • Testing of the performance of tamper switches,  

flow switches, and backup batteries  

  • The initiation and notification devices are visually evaluated.  


What Happens During an Annual Fire Alarm Inspection?  


During annual fire alarm inspections and testing, the following activities are generally performed:  


  • Testing and inspection of horn and strobe   
  • Testing and inspection of detectors pull stations and flow switches  
  • Testing and inspection of the control panel  
  • Testing and inspection of battery and backup power supply panel   
  • Testing of voice evacuation equipment  
  • Transmit signals to the monitoring center to test the communication path  


Annual Inspection Reports  


NFPA 72 mandates inspection reports to be completed after the annual fire alarm inspection and testing. This has to be done by a certified technician. It has to include a report of all deficiencies and corrections discovered during inspections and testing.  

You need to avail yourself of the services of the provider of the best fire alarm service in Glendora. They will perform annual & semi-annual alarm inspections.  


Conclusion 


Before you hire someone, confirm whether they perform annual and semi-annual inspections and testing of fire alarm systems. They should have enough experience serving commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings in your locality in Glendora and other areas. Always ensure certified technicians perform inspections and testing. They need to provide an NFPA 72-compliant inspection report and repair recommendations.  

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to soak test a fire alarm system?

Image
  The performance of a system with a typical production load like a fire protection service needs to be checked under different circumstances. For that purpose detailed testing by manipulating the load over specific periods of time is needed to understand the behavior of the same under production use or excessive pressure. Soak test is done by the professional and reputed  fire alarm monitoring companies in California  for that purpose.  Soak test on a fire alarm system: The professional service providers soak tests the fire alarms to ensure their activeness at any point in time. They are trained and experts in this field and they test the smoke alarms by using a small amount of radioactive material between two electrically charged plates that ionize the air and cause electricity to flow between the plates. Then they send some smoke in the chamber to see if it is reducing the flow of current by disrupting the flow of ions, which activates the fire alarm. The expert technicians at the p
Read more

Do fire alarms have to be tested frequently?

Image
  Before discussing the maintenance schedules of fire alarms first, we should focus on what is a fire alarm and why this is very essential for our safety and security.   A fire alarm system is a series of electronic devices working together to detect fire situation and alert the inhabitants about upcoming danger. The fire alarms use heat, smoke, or carbon monoxide sensors to detect a fire in an early stage. After swift detection, the fire alarms alert or warn the people through audio and visual appliances.  So the fire alarm should be checked regularly to ensure its functionality especially in time of need and that may arise at any point in time. The reputed  fire alarm monitoring companies in California  advises monthly check-up of the fire protection systems to avoid any unwanted situation.  USFA guidelines for fire alarm system checking: As per the United States Fire Administration (USFA), the household fire alarms should be checked at least once a month. They also suggest replacing
Read more

Know the different types of fire alarms to choose the right one for your premises

Image
  Choosing the right type of fire alarms is important to ensure the safety from an unfortunate fire incident. But before further discussion regarding the different types of fire alarm systems you should know the functions of the fire alarm systems, so while choosing fire alarms you can make the right decision. The installed smoke detectors, heat detectors help to identify an indication of fire and activate the fire alarms accordingly.  The different types of fire alarm systems: Primarily there are three different types of fire alarm monitoring systems offered by the professional  fire alarm monitoring companies in California . Those are 1. ionization, 2. photoelectric, and 3. combination alarms and in the following section we will discuss each type of fire alarm along with their functions.  Ionization fire alarm: This is the most popular type of fire-smoke alarms in which a small amount of radioactive material is placed between two electrically charged plates. This ionizes the air and
Read more