Two Professionals Who Can Perform Fire Alarm Inspections And How They Do It
by Louise Gomez
If you have more than just a basic smoke detector and fire alarm system, you know how important it is to get the system inspected regularly. This is especially true if the system's success or failure determines the survival of multiple people in your building. Here are two different professionals who can perform fire alarm inspections and how they do it.
Firefighters/Fire Prevention Inspectors
Firemen and firewomen who have additional training can lead fire inspections on most buildings. They may retain their career titles of "firefighter" but many of them may also be titled as "fire prevention inspectors" or "fire safety inspectors," depending on where you live. At regular and predetermined intervals, these professionals will visit your building and look for or examine:
- Working smoke detectors
- Working carbon monoxide detectors
- Filled and fully functional fire extinguishers, date-stamped with their last refill and any dates of use
- Items blocking doorways or escape routes--the items will need to be moved or removed to a safer location
- Multiple escape routes that are safe and accessible to everyone in the building
- Lack of combustibles on the property or the need to remove combustibles
This differs quite a bit from the next professional who can perform fire alarm inspections: security systems technicians.
Security Systems Technicians
Security systems technicians are trained to wire your fire alarms into your security system. The system then takes care of alerting the fire department and all other emergency services in the event that your fire alarms detect a fire. The technicians can perform several tests on your security alert system, testing it for adequate and continuous power supply, even in the face of a power outage. He or she will also check the sound of the alarm, just to be sure it is exceedingly loud and can wake even the deepest sleeper. Additionally, once the technician has performed all necessary tests on your fire alarm system, and it has passed inspection, he or she will report those findings to the security company, the local fire department, and the city's building code inspectors.
How They Do It (Check All of the Items and Systems)
Most fire extinguishers have pressure gauges you can read to see if the extinguishers' tanks are full. Creating heat and/or smoke really close to a fire alarm will set it off, allowing the tester to see and hear the alarm's full functioning range. Electrical gauges with digital readouts connect to the security system via small metal clamps and test the system's ability to receive constant power. Most everything else listed above is a visual check, which when combined with common sense, is easy for anyone to spot.
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About Me
Many homeowners focus their home security systems on the home itself but neglect to cover the other structures on the property and the property itself. Do you have an outbuilding, shed or garage that you use to store things in? Do you put those expensive inflatable decorations out in your lawn each holiday? There are probably several things outside of your home that warrant protection as much as the things that you keep inside of your home. This blog will show you the security measures that you can take to ensure that everything on your property is protected as best as it can be.