Anyone ever completed any type of safety audit and not ended up with at least one item related to your fire protection systems? Anyone? I know I never have and I am a fanatic about my fire protection systems. I was trained to treat them as “gold”. No one touches them – PERIOD! Yet in all my years I can not recall having completed a safety audit where someone found something wrong related to my fire protection systems. So here are a few items that we can use to raise awareness about code compliance for our fire protection systems.
IFC, SECTION 1101 NON-COMPLIANT CONDITIONS
Sprinkler and standpipe system piping and fittings having any of the following conditions:
1.1. Signs of leakage;
1.2. Evidence of corrosion;
1.3. Misalignment; or
Sprinkler piping support having any of the following conditions:
2.1. Materials resting on or hung from sprinkler piping
2.2. Damaged or loose hangers or braces
Class II and Class III standpipe systems having any of the following conditions:
3.1. No hose or nozzle, where required;
3.2. Hose threads incompatible with fire department hose threads;
3.3. Hose connection cap missing;
3.4. Mildew, cuts, abrasions and deterioration evident;
3.5. Coupling damaged;
3.6. Gaskets missing or deteriorated; or
3.7. Nozzle missing or obstructed.
Hose racks and cabinets having any of the following conditions:
4.1. Difficult to operate or damaged;
4.2. Hose improperly racked or rolled;
4.3. Inability of rack to swing 90 degrees out of the cabinet;
4.4. Cabinet locked, except as permitted by this code;
4.5. Cabinet door will not fully open; or
4.6. Door glazing cracked or broke
Portable fire extinguishers having any of the following conditions:
5.1. Broken seal or tamper indicator;
5.2. Expired maintenance tag;
5.3. Pressure gauge indicator in “red”;
5.4. Signs of leakage or corrosion;
5.5. Mechanical damage, denting or abrasion of tank;
5.6. Presence of repairs such as welding, soldering or brazing;
5.7. Damaged threads; or
5.8. Damaged hose assembly, couplings or swivel joints.
Fire alarm and detection control equipment, initiating devices and notification appliances having any of the following conditions:
6.1. Corroded or leaking batteries or terminals;
6.2. Smoke detectors having paint or other ornamentation that is not factory-applied;
6.3. Mechanical damage to heat or smoke detectors; or
6.4. Tripped fuses.
Fire department connections having any of the following conditions:
7.1. Fire department connections are not visible or accessible from the fire apparatus access road;
7.2. Couplings or swivels are damaged;
7.3. Plugs and caps are missing or damaged;
7.4. Gaskets are deteriorated;
7.5. Check valve is leaking; or
7.6. Identification signs are missing
Fire pumps having any of the following conditions:
8.1. Pump room temperature is less than 40°F;
8.2. Ventilating louvers are not freely operable;
8.3. Corroded or leaking system piping;
8.4. Diesel fuel tank is less than two-thirds full; or
8.5. Battery readings, lubrication oil or cooling water levels are abnormal.