How Often Should You Inspect Your Fire Alarm System?
Everyone dreads the day when fire alarm systems are being tested because they are often loud and annoying. However, the importance of making sure your fire alarms are working properly outweighs the small distraction of lights and noise. Putting off a fire alarm inspection can be both risky and negligent for business owners as it puts both employees and property at risk.
Moreover, putting off inspections and testing may put you into contempt of your local regulations. It is your responsibility to make sure your fire alarms are in proper functioning order in your home, and that applies to your business as well.
New Equipment or Updates
The original test to check any new equipment in your business is referred to as Initial Acceptance Testing in NFPA 72, 14.4.1.1, and there are Reacceptance Tests outlined in NFPA 72, 14.4.1.2.
These tests will help you to make sure that your new equipment and systems are working. Even new equipment can experience issues or be set up improperly. When updates are made, you will need to double-check that all your equipment continues to communicate correctly. Problems can arise with updates if your equipment is old and not supported on new systems.
Visual Checks
At FSS Technologies, we recommend you do routine visual system checks monthly to ensure that your smoke detectors are functioning, emergency doors are clear from obstructions, and your alarm system notifications are working. These tests can be done quickly and outside working hours, so they do not interrupt your team’s work.
These visual checks include looking for obstructions in front of your doors, obvious cracks or issues with lights or equipment. You should also make sure that none of the warning system lights are on for any of your control panels or equipment.
Quarterly Inspections
You should be doing a thorough inspection of your entire fire alarm system every quarter. These quarterly tests should include cleaning the dust that can accumulate around the sensors of the smoke detectors. Dust and debris on smoke detectors can make them less efficient at detecting a fire.
These detailed inspections should include a visual check of your batteries for corrosion and review the connections or any wires that might be out of place.
During your thorough check, you should refer to NFPA 72, Chapter 14, for more details. Your local jurisdiction might have different requirements that you need to adhere to as well.
Testing
Functional testing is essential as well because visual checks cannot show you any technical problems with your system. This kind of testing is done by professionals to ensure that your fire system and detection devices are working. A professional team will test everything from your system’s alarms to the connection between your system and the monitoring system (if you have one).
FSS Technologies conducts fire alarm testing to ensure that your equipment is functioning and meets the appropriate standards for your local jurisdiction. Our experts will check each piece of the warning system, from sound alarms to strobe lights, as well as the different elements of the control panel. For FSS Technologies customers, we will be able to seamlessly communicate with our monitoring team to ensure the systems are synced.
If you want to get started with a new fire monitoring system or are looking for a professional inspector, contact your local security pros at FSS Technologies.
Explore Our Other Blogs
DIY Home Security Cameras
DIY Security Systems Are the New Fad How many cameras can the system support, and can it support cameras from other manufacturers? – You’ll hear systems called 2-channel, 4-channel, 16-channel, etc., which determines how many cameras the system can support. It’s best to purchase a system that can support a few more cameras than you…
Most Common Causes of House Fires
A house fire can be a life-altering event that some may never fully recover from. The best way to protect your home and family from a fire is to educate yourself about the risks and how to prevent them. We all know the essential forms of prevention and protection, like smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinklers,…
What are the Best Outdoor Security Cameras?
When it comes to protecting your home, you need to think about both the indoor and outdoor components of your security system. Security cameras can allow you to see and monitor what is going on, even if you aren’t there in person. Placing cameras outside to protect your home or business requires a bit more…
Are You a Spectrum Customer Losing Service?
When Spectrum closed the doors on its home security system business in February 2020, many customers were left high and dry. The Spectrum Backstory Spectrum is a subsidiary of Charter Communications, the second-largest cable provider in the country offering service in 42 states. Charter inherited Spectrum in a 2016 merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House…
What Is Alarm.com?
How Does Alarm.com Work? Alarm.com’s cellular connection is reserved solely for the security system. It is not shared with other services, and it does not depend on your home’s networking and Wi-Fi. Alarm.com’s cellular connection cannot be physically cut. There is no cable. Should an intruder attack the security panel itself, Alarm.com’s patented Crash and…
What is a Smart Home and How Can Home Automation Solutions Help You?
Home automation solutions are no longer the ideas of science fiction. These intelligent home systems can save you hundreds of dollars through energy conservation, and they can provide state-of-the-art security to protect your home and the loved ones inside of it. What is A Smart Home? A smart home is equipped with lighting, heating,…
Should My Business Have a Panic Button?
What Exactly is a Panic Button? As the name implies, a panic button is a button or switch that an individual activates when there is an emergency that needs immediate attention. Panic buttons are often hidden from plain sight so they can be activated subtly or in secret by the correct individuals. How Does a…
Who Are the Best Security Companies in Indiana?
Finding the right company to install and monitor the security in your home (or business) is an important choice. You need to know and trust the people who will be responsible for keeping you safe. In Indiana, we know that there are many teams ready and capable of protecting your home and business. To help…
Fire Safety Procedures for the Workplace
The bad news—a fire breaks out in your workplace. The good news—you are ready because you have done your homework and prepared for the possibility of an emergency. Emergency Action Plan The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires most employers to have an emergency action plan for various scenarios, including fires in the workplace. There…
Why Fire Alarm Monitoring is Essential for Your Business
We’ve talked about the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in previous blogs and how it is essential to understand and obey their standards when installing, testing, and maintaining fire alarm systems. Fire Alarm Monitoring is the Law Your business might need to include monitoring as part of its fire safety system due to NFPA 101® . NFPA…