Fire Alarm Testing Checklist

Fire Alarm Testing Checklist

Fire Alarm Testing, Done Right

During construction, every commercial facility was assessed for fire and emergency needs, and a fire alarm system was customized according to construction type, occupancy, and building use. The utmost care was taken to prepare for as many emergency situations as possible to protect employees, guests, products, and property from harm.

With each passing decade, fire safety equipment has been improved and updated. The two best barriers to destruction and loss of life and property destruction in your facility are the fire safety equipment and the people who monitor them.

Fire alarm systems develop faults with prolonged use and deteriorate over time. The alarm systems in your facility need regular inspection and testing to make sure small mechanic problems do not lead to a systemic problem during a fire emergency. Inspection and testing will vary according to building type and system equipment; inspections can be required weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, and 5 or 10 year periods.

While the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provides guidelines for inspection schedules¹, your local fire department may also have established ordinances that determine inspections schedules.

Some testing and inspection can be completed by trained staff, while some require a licensed fire protection technician. Generally, weekly, monthly, and quarterly inspections can be completed by a trained staff person, while semi-annual and annual inspections require a professional.

A best-practice step includes developing an inspection and testing schedule to ensure every part of the fire alarm system functions properly and gives continuous protection. A verification record, identifying the date and person responsible for the inspection, should be kept on file.

The inspection and Fire Alarm Testing schedule should include a checklist of items that require inspection. While you may be familiar with fire alarm system basics, the NFPA list is very thorough and will make you aware of system components that you might miss.

Here is a breakdown of the Fire Alarm Testing system components that needs inspection and testing and the required frequency.

Fire Alarm System Inspection Checklist

• Weekly inspections: A visual inspection of fuses/breakers, lamps and LED lights, control unit trouble signals, interfaced equipment, and the main power supply
• Monthly inspections: A visual inspection of batteries, looking for terminal corrosion or leakage, digital alarm communicator receiver (DACR), and CO² detectors
• Quarterly inspections: supervisory signaling devices, water flow devices, and radiant energy fire detectors

Fire Alarm Testing Checklist

• Weekly Fire Alarm Testing: Test batteries in the fire alarm reporting system (change as needed) and test a backup generator used by the public alarm reporting system
• Monthly Fire Alarm Testing:
  • Battery testing: test lead-acid batteries by performing a 30-minute discharge test and a load voltage test. If a lead-acid battery is sealed, also complete a battery charger test.
  • Signaling device testing: test the supervising signaling device and receiver, including the digital alarm communication receiver, the digital alarm radio receiver, the digital alarm radio receiver, any two-way FR multiplex, the radio alarm supervising station receiver, and the radio alarm repeating station receiver. These are the component pieces that communicate with building occupants and first responders after a fire emergency has been detected.
• Quarterly Fire Alarm Testing:
  • Battery testing: test all of the batteries in the central station monitoring facility with tests appropriate for the battery material, test nickel-cadmium batteries with both a charger test and a load voltage test, test sealed lead-acid batteries with a charger test, a 2-hour discharge test, and a load voltage test.
  • Test the initiating and supervisory signaling devices and any off-premises transmission equipment.

Not every facility is equipped with all of the equipment listed above. If you have questions concerning your fire alarm system, components, testing requirements, or are in need of training for inspections and testing, give Fire Safe a call. We also have Licensed Fire Protection Technicians that can complete semi-annual, annual, 5 and 10-year inspections and testing.

Have questions about Fire Alarm Testing?

Call Fire Safe Protection Services today at 713-722-7800 or visit our online form and we will be in contact as soon as possible about your Fire Alarm Testing questions.

¹ https://www.nfpa.org/Codes-and-Standards/All-Codes-and-Standards/List-of-Codes-and-Standards