Fire sprinkler/suppression inspection

[Barry Adair]

training...anyone know of where or who to contact for training to do these type inspections in residential mainly and/or commercial?

thanks in advance

[Michael R. Boyett]

In my commercial life I have used and swear by Western States Fire Protection and they have reps all across the US. Also look at this thread.

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by mboyett

In my commercial life I have used and swear by Western States Fire Protection and they have reps all across the US. Also look at this thread.

Michael,
Thanks for the link, good info.
Do you sub them to WSFP or just pass them on?

[Michael R. Boyett]

My experience has been as a user of their services, I have not had the opportunity to use them in my inspection world but that's who I'd look to first for advice or consultation. I suppose the situation would dictate just how I would handle it but I would think as a subcontractor. That would give me the opportunity to mark their work up some to account for my time & effort.

[Emmanuel J. Scanlan]

Hey Barry,

Just like many other things in Texas, Fire Sprinkler/Supression systems are licensed for installation, test, maintenance and inspection. The Texas Department of Insurance handles the licensing for this, along with the state Fire Marshall. All of the regulatory, testing, etc. information can be found on TDI's site at:

http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/fire/fmlisprinkler.html

Sounds like a lot of hoop jumping to become certified to test.

I did a townhome in Frisco a couple of weeks back with sprinklers. I advised them to speak with their HOA and Frisco Fire Marshall to have them checked and tested prior to closing.

[Chris McDonald]

Barry,
I would contact NFPA to obtain training information in reference to NFPA 13: Installation of Sprinkler Systems (and it's derivatives) and NFPA 25: Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water Based Fire Protection Systems. I know that they conduct seminars throughout the country during the year on these two topics. At the very least I would recommend having a copy of these two standards and their handbooks to become familiar with the requirements.
Hope that helps.

[Carl E. Anderson]

Barry,
I have a close friend who is a retired 20 year veteran Sprinkler Inspector. He had to have his low voltage electrical license in CT as a requirement to inspect associated fire alarm panels. I agree with the group. You would need to contact the licensing authority of your state. They dictate what National and State requirements you need to satisfy before becoming Licensed and/or certified Fire Alarm and Supression Sytem inspector. They may also have a requirement for minimum hours as an apprentice working under someone else.
Is it a dry or wet system? Is it Chemical or Halon? Do they have Municipal water or storage tanks supplying the fire pump? Do they have the required spare sprinkler, smoke, and heat detector parts onsite? As with the HI business, every inspection is different. If you are willing to spend the time, money, and work involved, I beleive you could do it and offer those services.
Personally, I would not. If not because of the liability concerns, definately not because of the cost effectiveness. I would be losing money.

[Barry Adair]

Thanks to all, so far!

I'm just trying to be forward thinking and am running into these systems more and more.
With the new requirements coming up for all residential I'm thinking this would be an additional service to offer clients.

The city I live in now requires annual inspections of these systems and I'm getting at least a half-dozen calls a month for only this type inspection...we'll see.