Fire & Life Safety: Sprinkler Monitoring 101

Nov. 5, 2014
Adding the service to your fire offering will lead to guaranteed RMR

One of three types of fire alarm installation required by the IBC/IFC is Section 903.4 – “Sprinkler system supervision and alarms.” When Chapter 9 of the IBC/IFC requires a fire sprinkler system to be installed, this section requires signals from that system to be sent remotely to where someone will take notice and do something.

As it turns out, the sign around the sprinkler bell reading “Call Fire Department when Sounding” was not a very reliable reporting method; thus this section of the code was added so that if the sprinkler system was activated, notification would be sent to a staffed, on-site security office or remote monitoring company, which is much more effective than a sign and bell on the back of the building. As an additional bonus, the electrical supervision of critical sprinkler functions has greatly increased the reliability of fire suppression systems.

Alarm companies wishing to get their feet wet providing the sprinkler monitoring required by 903.4, may find this the easiest market entry point. Of course, beforehand you will have to get any local/state fire alarm installer license(s) and insurance; update your contracts to include the necessary language needed for the fire alarm market; get factory trained on the fire alarm panels and equipment you will standardize on; and create your own forms, reports and chain of command as if you are starting a new division in your company.

Knowing the intent of Section 903.4 is important. Having these systems monitored means the fire department and/or building owner will be notified of alarm and related signals so they can take corrective action ASAP. This means thef ire department can address small, new, baby fires before they become mean, out-of-control, teenage fires; and the owner will obviously appreciate knowing when their building has water flooding through it — due to fire or any other reason.

Three Types of Signals

There are three different types of signals generated by sprinkler systems. Alarm signals are caused when the waterflow switch(es) provided by the sprinkler contractor are activated. Supervisory signals are caused by a switch or other sensor installed by the sprinkler contractor when an impairment is detected of certain sprinkler functions or features. Activation of these initiating devices, such as the water supply being shut off, or a change in pressure or temperature, will initiate a supervisory signal. Trouble signals are initiated by your FACP, not by the sprinkler system.

All three signals, including their restoration to normal, must be transmitted to a supervising station for proper response by the fire department and/or the building owner. This will directly impact your ability to generate RMR, as virtually every required sprinkler system will become a monitored account — thus also giving you a chance to sell them additional security.

Each sprinkler monitoring system should also garner you a Test and Inspection Contract because, as the trained, professional alarm company, you are the one who will best be able to test the alarm system to verify the proper response to the functions performed by all the sprinkler switches and sensors connected to your FACP.

It is important to indicate verbally and in any paperwork, that you are testing the sprinkler supervisory system, as required by IBC/IFC 903.4, and NOT the “sprinkler system.” Salespeople and technicians have misspoken in the past and misrepresented their services to the point where there are actually some AHJs that believe you have to be a licensed sprinkler contractor to perform this service. All your contracts must indicate what you are testing and what you are not testing — which is now a NFPA 72 rule, 14.2.10 and A.14.2.10.

Sprinkler Types and Control Units

There are three kinds of sprinkler systems: wet pipe, dry pipe and “other.” When starting out, only bid or sell your sprinkler monitoring services to the first two. The third type of installation — other —refers to terms such as “blast wall,” “explosion proof,” “foam generator,” “inert gas,” or “releasing,” to name a few. While you may be asked to provide your alarm connections to these other suppression systems, you certainly do not need to go looking for these specialized systems initially. Get your feet wet without drowning first.

Try and target wet pipe systems, as they will usually need a minimum of connections to your FACP and are almost identical from one installation to another. Wet pipe systems typically have one vane-type waterflow alarm switch, and two or more switches (existing/by others) attached to water shut-off valves and other devices, for the supervisory signals. All required wet- and dry-pipe devices are installed by the sprinkler company to meet the requirements of the engineer or sprinkler system designer to function correctly with the sprinkler system per code. The contacts on all these switches will close upon activation. Your techs should not have to install any of these switches or ever have the need to carry a pipe wrench. “Getting your feet wet” in the sprinkler supervision market is just a metaphor.

You will encounter dry pipe systems in spaces where the pipes are exposed to cold temperatures where freezing may be a problem. Dry pipe systems are common in northern parts of the country and in refrigerated storage areas. The FACP connections for these systems are the same as for a wet pipe system, except there will likely be more supervisory switches (electrical contacts) to connect, and they use a different type of waterflow alarm switch that senses a pressure change, instead of a vane-type switch on the side of the riser pipe. If it is not a waterflow alarm switch, it is a supervisory switch.

In buildings where there is no requirement for compliance with IBC/IFC section 907 for evacuation, any sprinkler monitoring for compliance with section 903.4 will use, by default, a control panel that will be dedicated to this single function. These panels can be extremely basic and cost-effective, and will be able to be used on the vast majority of every wet or dry pipe suppression systems you encounter.

With sprinkler monitoring, a zone is allowed to report five waterflow alarm switches or 20 supervisory switches. This means a three- to five-zone FACP can become your standard sprinkler supervisory panel. If it can be expanded to 10 zones when needed, that would be even better. However, to be cost effective, you must standardize on a particular make/model. This is not the market for addressable FACPs.

Fire Pumps

No sweat. These water supply pumps all have a set of dry contacts in their controller panel that close to create a “supervisory signal” common to several fire pump failure events. You will need to locate these contacts to initiate a combined common “fire pump” supervisory signal on your FACP. If you have a spare zone, dedicate this supervisory circuit to “fire pump trouble.”

Greg Kessinger is SD&I’s fire alarm and codes expert and a regular contributor. Please email him your fire & life safety questions at [email protected].