general information about various building components and the preventive maintenance

that should be undertaken to maintain them.

Carrying out regular, ongoing preventive maintenance on all components and systems on your property

is important, whether it is a large multi-residential development or a small site with only a few

units. It's a known fact that having a preventive maintenance plan in place is, over the long

run, more cost effective than making repairs as components fail.

The equipment that collectively forms the fire safety system in your building is one

of the most crucial building systems you have. It protects not only the people that live

in your building, but also the building itself.

In this video, we will examine the basic components of a multi residential building's fire safety

system and review the ongoing maintenance necessary to comply with legislation and ensure

a safe environment.

Your building's life safety components must function when they are needed, and therefore

must be inspected and tested on a prescribed basis.

The most common elements of a building's fire protection and life safety systems are:

Emergency Lighting & Exit Signs, to assist in evacuating your building in case of emergency

or fire

Portable Fire Extinguishers, to enable properly trained staff to extinguish a fire right after

it starts

Fire Alarm and Emergency Voice Communication Systems, to announce a fire condition and

facilitate communication between staff, the fire department, and tenants

Automatic Sprinkler Systems, to suppress fires before the fire department arrives on site

Smoke Detectors, to assist in the early detection of fires

Carbon Monoxide Detectors, to alert tenants to the presence of deadly gases; and

Emergency Power Systems or Generators, to provide emergency power in case of a power

outage due to fire.

The fire safety equipment in your building is covered by the Fire Protection and Prevention

Act (FPPA). Among other things, this act grants fire officials the power to enter premises

to fight fires, and to inspect premises for compliance with fire prevention regulations.

Landlords must also comply with The Ontario Fire Code, which is the regulation under the

Act.

Residential Buildings in Ontario are also required to prepare and implement a Fire Safety

Plan as part of their legal compliance. A Fire Safety plan is a document that outlines

the evacuation procedures unique to your building. A proper Fire Safety Plan must also:

Be approved by the Chief Fire Official at the local fire department

Ensure the optimum use of all life safety features installed in your building

Reflect all of the occupancies in your building, and

Identify resources available to your residents.

In properly maintaining the Fire Protection and Life Safety elements in your building,

it is important to understand the difference between three basic terms:

A CHECK is a visual observation to ensure that the device or system is in place and

is not obviously damaged or obstructed.

To INSPECT is to physically examine a device or system to determine if it will apparently

perform in accordance with its intended function.

A TEST involves the actual operation of a device or system to ensure it will perform

in accordance with its intended operation or function.

Ongoing checks of the fire safety elements in your building can be incorporated into

your daily walk-through. Perform a visual CHECK of the following items for obvious damage

or obstructions:

Emergency lighting and exit signs must be maintained in a clean manner and kept legible

at all times.

Portable Fire Extinguishers must be kept accessible at all times.

Sprinkler heads should be CHECKED to see if they are damaged, corroded, greasy, or painted.

Sprinkler heads and pipes in indoor parking garages can be easily damaged by tall vehicles

or antennas. If damaged sprinkler heads are found, staff should notify the building's

Fire Protection Contractor. They will assess the equipment and will advise you if the Fire

Department requires notification that the system is impaired or out of service. They

will also ensure any defective heads are replaced.

There must be no obstructions around sprinkler heads that might interfere with their water

discharge pattern. Sprinkler systems and their piping networks must not be used to support

anything that will interfere with sprinkler performance, and sprinkler piping and hangers

must be kept in good repair. Sprinkler control valves must always be kept accessible and

maintained in operating condition.

Exterior fire department connections must be equipped with plugs or caps and secured

"wrench tight" at all times.

Staff should make a visual CHECK of all fire alarm and voice communications systems on

a daily basis to ensure they are unobstructed. Components include the fire alarm control

panel, annunciator panel, manual pull stations, heat detectors, and supervisory switches.

Visually CHECK principal and remote trouble lights on the main fire panel to ensure that

no trouble is indicated on the system.

INSPECT the AC 'power on' light or equivalent indictor to ensure its normal operation. Staff

should report defects on a daily or ongoing basis. Any required service or repair must

be done by a qualified Fire Protection Contractor.

On a monthly basis, your site staff should CHECK pilot lights on self-contained emergency

power units to ensure proper operation. Power units must be INSPECTED to ensure that:

terminal connections are clean, lubricated ,and free of corrosion

terminal clamps are clean and tight, and

the battery surface is clean and dry.

Also on a monthly basis, site staff should INSPECT all Portable Fire Extinguishers, and

record the inspection date and their initials on the extinguisher tag. This information

must also be recorded in the Building's Fire Log Book. Staff should CHECK the following

elements of each Fire Extinguisher:

CHECK extinguisher nozzles for any obstructions

CHECK that the tamper seal is in place, and

CHECK if the recharge gauge is showing an operable range.

Site staff should report any defects. Any repair or recharge must be done by a qualified

Fire Protection Contractor.

Once a month, ONE initiating field device must be CHECKED, such as a heat detector,

smoke detector or water flow switch, OR one manual initiating device, such as a pull station.

All devices should be CHECKED on a rotational basis.

Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, if installed, should be TESTED once per month

on a rotational basis for proper operation.

Depending if your building's fire alarm and voice communication systems are integrated,

the following elements should be tested in each zone on a rotational basis:

firefighter's handsets for clear, two-way communication with the control panel

voice paging capability; and

loudspeakers, operated as an on-call signal.

It is important that these monthly tests be recorded in the Building's Fire Log Book.

While the tests CAN be carried out by properly trained site staff, it is recommended that

they be done by a qualified Fire Protection Contractor.

On a bi-monthly basis, CHECK the sprinkler control valves to ensure the pressures are

in optimal range. If applicable, priming water levels for dry pipe valves must be maintained

at the proper level. Any problems must be reported to your local fire department.

Sprinkler systems in parking garages are usually pressurized with air instead of water to avoid

freezing. With changing temperatures, however, condensation can produce small amounts of

water in the pipes. This water should be removed by using special draining stations like this

one, normally twice a year, in the Spring and Fall.

All emergency lighting, fire alarm systems, sprinklers, and extinguishers should be INSPECTED

on an annual basis by a qualified Fire Protection Contractor.

High building may have additional fire safety protection equipment, such as smoke control

systems, which have special CHECK, INSPECT, and TEST requirements.

We've covered the many tasks associated with good preventive maintenance for the fire protection

and life safety systems in your building. Now let's summarize what we've learned.

On a daily basis, staff must make a visual check for damage, obstructions, or trouble

indicators on:

Emergency lighting and exit signs

Portable fire extinguishers

Sprinkler heads, pipes, and fire department connection, and

Fire alarm and voice communication systems, including main control panel and pull stations

On a monthly basis, the following elements must be INSPECTED and recorded in the building's

Fire Log Book:

Portable fire extinguishers for obstructed nozzles, tamper seal, and pressure gauge

Self-contained power units, including battery terminal connections and clamps

Field devices such as heat detectors or pull stations, inspected on a rotational basis,

and

Firefighter's handsets or loudspeakers

CHECK all sprinkler control valves every two months.

Remember to schedule an annual inspection of all your building's life safety systems

by a qualified Fire Protection Contractor.

Regular preventive maintenance of your building's fire safety systems will make sure that any

small problems are detected before they become big ones. This means safe and reliable service

for the people who call your building home.