You think it won’t happen to you until it does. Catastrophic fires occur when you least expect it and worse, 80% of businesses never recover from these events. Often, fire becomes out of hand not because of the lack of fire safety equipment but due to inoperable and inferior fire protection.
This is why annual inspections and maintenance are a crucial part of your fire protection program. Here are some of the things you should know about fire safety equipment inspection:
Regular inspection is essential
Inspection is required by both the National Fire Code and your insurance provider. This ensures that your equipment will work as intended when emergencies arise.
There are different inspection schedules for different fire safety equipment. As business owners and facility managers, it is your responsibility to be on top of this schedule.
But Bison Fire Protection knows that you have too much on your plate and keeping up with varying dates of inspection is a challenge. As your partner, we book your inspections ahead of time and remind you when one is due. So, you can focus on your business and still be on top of the required maintenance of your safety equipment.
Inspections from uncertified techs are invalid
Recently, news broke out in the industry that renowned fire prevention companies were found to be servicing fire suppression systems without an appropriate manufacturer’s certification. Not only were they charged a hefty sum but some of the businesses who hired them were fined as well.
Inspection alone does not cut it. Inspection done by manufacturer-certified companies and technicians is what the fire code requires.
Picture this:
Your building just burned to the ground.
Your first response is to call your insurance provider to file for claims.
They did their investigation and found out that uncertified techs serviced your fire protection units.
What do you think their response is?
They would walk away and bring your coverage out of the door with them.
Upon delving into the situation, it was concluded that the fire could have been prevented if not for the faulty equipment installed in the building.
The next logical step is to call the manufacturer’s attention and hold them accountable for the damages.
Again, their investigation revealed noncompliance with the fire code. So, they too walk away.
Now, both your insurance provider and fire safety manufacturer shrugged their shoulders, leaving you with massive losses, business disruptions, and possibly, years of litigation. This is not what you’d want for your business!
Service and inspection from manufacturer-certified techs are more than just regulatory compliance — it’s the assurance of business continuity even when the unexpected happens.
But how do you verify your tech’s qualifications? It’s easy. ASK FOR THEIR CERTIFICATIONS.
In today’s age, it will only take a few clicks to get those documents emailed to you. If they have it, it will fly to your inbox in an instant. If it takes days before they respond to your request, consider it a red flag!
Certifications from previous employers are null and void
So now, you have certified techs, but is their company certified as well?
Manufacturer certifications are not transferable as that of a post-secondary diploma. When a technician moves out of the certified company, he leaves behind the certifications he acquired from that employer. Hence, he is not qualified to service any fire suppression equipment unless he gets new certifications from his current employer.
They can still do “the job”. Yes, that’s true!
But since they are not with the certified company anymore, they don’t have access to the latest bulletins, recalls, product restrictions and other communications from the manufacturer. They are servicing your fire protection equipment based on the information they previously received, which could be obsolete the day after they resigned.
Bison Fire Protection is a manufacturer-certified company and ALL our staff are certified to design, install, inspect, and service all kinds of equipment. We are highly invested in the continuous training of our team to ensure the full protection of the lives, businesses, and communities we serve.
We offer more than just service but peace of mind from decades of experience, high quality products, investments in continuous training, and open communication so you can be sure you are fully protected from fire and fines.
Fire safety is not something you pinch pennies on. Don’t compromise your safety, book a free service consultation today!
