No. No fire sprinklers should operate during required inspections.  Sprinklers are designed to go off individually due to heat.  Even in a fire, typically only one to two sprinklers operate.

The exact number of fire extinguishers you need in your building depends on many factors, including building size, layout, occupancy levels, etc. In general, you want to have enough fire extinguishers in your building so you never have more than 75 feet between any two Class A fire extinguishers and never more than 50 feet between Class B fire extinguishers.

Yes. The NFPA, or National Fire Protection Association, reports that buildings that have functioning fire sprinkler systems experience 50% to 66% less property destruction and death risk on average when compared to buildings that do not have a fire sprinkler system. A fire sprinkler system will save you money and, most importantly, human lives.

Yes. Fire sprinkler systems are a great line of defense when a fire is blazing, but an alarm system will give you a warning as soon as possible, allowing you more time to safely get out of the endangered buildings. Fire alarm systems can also be enabled to contact the local fire department automatically, reducing the amount of time the fire has to burn without professionals to fight it.

NFPA requirements vary by industry and associated risk, but your fire alarm and sprinkler systems should be tested and inspected regularly to ensure their proper function. When a qualified Northwest Fire Systems technician inspects your system, any problems from wear and tear will be found, which can be taken care of before they become worse.

If your facility does not have sprinklers, you’ll have to wait an average of 9-12 minutes for the fire department to get to you. Those 9-12 minutes spent waiting for firefighters to arrive at your building give the fire ample time to spread through the building. When this happens, the fire department will have to use even more water to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters do not worry about the amount of water they use or where it goes in your property. Fire sprinklers contain and even extinguish fires quickly, minimizing the amount of water used and the damage to your property.

Since there are many different aspects to a fire alarm system, different components are required to be tested or inspected at different intervals throughout the year. A properly certified and trained technician must inspect and test parts of the alarm system to meet specific, local codes and requirements. There are many components of an alarm system that must be tested and inspected including, but not limited to:

• Sprinkler systems attached to the alarm system.
• Batteries.
• Main panel functions.
• Auditory and visual alarm systems, such as chimes, strobe lights and horns.