FIRE ALARM TEST
Speaking about fire alarm test and/or fire alarm maintenance, one should ask:
How is fire alarm testing done?
What fire alarm system components are you going to test and/or maintain? What can you do to ensure your commercial fire alarm system that costs you a lot is liable?
Do you know how to test a fire alarm smoke detector and/or heat detector?
What is the difference between testing and maintaining a fire alarm system?
Here under we will explain the answers for you.
Testing fire alarm system:
Fire alarm testing is doing some scheduled practices to ensure system liability and by those testing schedules you will save money and protect your assets.
Any fire alarm circuit consists of:
• Main fire alarm control panel (which contains batteries, fuses and screen with led lamps)
• Sensing fire alarm parts (smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points)
• Notification devices: Devices which produce fire alarm sound (like bells)
• Infrastructure: fire alarm cables used or network Ethernet or fiber optic cables or even a wireless fire alarm system.
You have to test your system for every predetermined period of time to confirm the liability of your system.
Fire alarm testing is done using special tools, some for smoke detection and others for heat detection. These special tools generate smoke for smoke detector testing, and generate heat for heat detector testing.
When you are going to test a heat detector you will perform the following:
1- Find a suitable heat source (it could be special equipment that generates a heat).
2- Bring the heat source near to the heat detector so that it can almost touch the detector itself (fire flame simulation), using a stairs or special long stick.
3- Once the heat reaches the threshold of the heat detector , it closes the circuit and it immediately triggers an alarm for the fire alarm control panel to issue an output.
Similarly, when you are going to test a smoke detector, you will perform the above mentioned steps but instead of using a heat source you will use a smoke source.
You will perform these tests to all detectors in the area to be tested. Nevertheless if the number of used detectors is large (ex- 200 detector) you can divide the testing into cycles. For instance you will perform fire alarm testing on 100 detectors this month and the other 100 detectors in the next month. Moreover you should test the detectors with every two consecutive detectors..
For example if the area to be tested is a cable tunnel which contains 200 detectors in a row. In this case you are going this month to test detectors number#1,3,5,7,……,199. After that in the next month you are going to test detectors number#2,4,6,8,….,200). By performing testing every two consecutive detectors you guarantee your fire alarm system liability.
Fire alarm testing should concentrate on the function and the liability of the fire alarm system.
Note: If your system is older than 7 years you will be obligated to test and maintain your fire alarm system with close attention.
What is the recommended fire alarm testing cycle?
It depends on the importance of the property to be protected and it will be different for each application.
For instance if you are going to check your home fire alarm system & hire one of the fire alarm companies which specializes in fire alarm testing, you don’t have to bring them monthly & pay them money.
You can bring them and make the maintenance semi annually (every 6 months).
On the other hand if you have a valuable piece of antique in an important museum, then you will have to test the system monthly and pay for it.
There is a base for testing a fire alarm system you should determine depending on your application. You have to make a “testing record sheet” for testing the fire alarm system in each zone or area in your property.
Maintenance of fire alarm system:
Fire alarm system maintenance is to disassemble fire alarm parts and maintain, clean and inspect them separately for each detector or fire component.
Maintenance basic procedures:
- Isolate the detector or the zone to be maintained.
- Inform concerned people if there is a fire how to contact firefighters.
- Disassemble each detector, perform cleaning with dry and clean cloth, you can use air blower for hard to reach parts.
- Test each fire alarm part individually before connecting it to the fire alarm control panel to confirm that it is functioning well.
You should periodically perform maintenance to your fire alarm system which including checks for:
• Power supply voltages.
• Fire alarm panels batteries check (if any corrosion).
• Fuses.
• All detectors responses (alarm condition and alarm verification stages).
Also resetting the fire alarm is required during testing and/or maintenance of the fire alarm system.
All fire alarm testing results and maintenance should be recorded and documented. These documents will be a reference for you and the insurance companies to protect your assets.
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