An Overview of the Scope and Purpose of NFPA 25

Russ is the Chairman and CEO of Telgian, Inc. whose subsidiaries include Fire Materials Group and TVA Fire and Life Safety. He holds a degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Level IV certification from NICET in Fire Sprinkler Layout. He is a licensed contractor in 40 states and has 25 years of experience in the design, installation, and testing of fire protection systems. Telgian provides a wide range of fire protection and life safety services including fire systems engineering and design, code consulting, loss control engineering, installation, and the inspection and testing. Russ has worked on projects throughout North America, Central and South America, the Far East, and Europe. He serves as a principal on the NFPA 25 technical committee and the NFPA 5000 (building code) correlating committee. Russ conducts seminars throughout North America for Authorities Having Jurisdiction, Contractors, and Engineers on a variety of subjects and is a member of AFSA, NFPA, NFSA, and SFPE.

Russ Leavitt, S.E.T.

Telgian, Inc 2615 S Industrial Park Ave. Tempe, AZ 85282 PH: (480) 753-5444 Email: Rleavitt@telgian.com

NFPA 13A
First published in 1940 Last edition 1987 No mandatory language

NFPA 25
Technical committee appointed in 1990 First edition 1992

LETS REVIEW WHY

80% of System Failures can be attributed to a lack of maintenance!

Leading causes of failures:

System shut off (66%) Lack of other Maintenance (10%) Damaged Component (2%)

NFPA 25 2008 Edition

Two-thirds of all failures are because of a shut water control valve! Think about itWe could eliminate 2/3 of failures by simply keeping control valves open!

NFPA 25 2008 Edition

The Objective of NFPA 25 is to eliminate the failures that are caused by the lack of maintenance.

NFPA 25 is widely adopted. NFPA 25 is not widely enforced. NFPA 25 is widely misinterpreted by both contractors and jurisdictions.

The objective of this seminar to create a greater awareness regarding the scope and purpose of NFPA 25

Lets take a Look

Chapter 1 Administration Chapter 2 Referenced Publications Chapter 3 Definitions Chapter 4 General Requirements Chapter 5 Sprinkler Systems Chapter 6 Standpipe and Hose Systems Chapter 7 Private Fire Service Mains

Chapter 8 Fire Pumps Chapter 9 Water Storage Tanks Chapter 10 Water Spray Fixed Systems Chapter 11 Foam-Water Sprinkler Systems Chapter 12 - Water Mist Systems Chapter 13 Valves, Valve Components, Trim Chapter 14 - Obstruction Investigation Chapter 15 - Impairments Annexes/Supplements

Minimum requirements Water-based systems Coordinate with NFPA 72 Covers systems installed in accordance with generally accepted practices Not intended to reveal installation flaws or code of compliance violations Does not apply to 13D systems

Ensure reasonable degree of protection for life and property

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

NFPA Official Definitions (3.2)

Approved AHJ Listed Shall Should

Inspection (3.3.18) Testing (3.3.34) Maintenance (3.3.20) Qualified (3.3.28)

Chapter 4

Owner shall provide ready access (4.1.1) Owner responsible for maintaining system (4.1.2) Tasks performed by competent personnel (4.1.2.2) Owner shall notify all parties as required before testing or shutting down system (4.1.3)

Owner shall make repairs promptly (4.1.4) All tasks to be performed by qualified personnel (4.1.2.2 and 4.1.4.1)

Owner shall evaluate all changes to occupancy, use, or materials stored (4.1.5) Where changes occur, owner shall contract with qualified consultant and the AHJ to evaluate systems (4.1.6) Correct any deficiency found (4.1.6.1)

Owner shall ensure responsible occupants know how to shut system down (4.1.7) Information signs (4.1.8) Note: This is a retroactive requirement! When system is returned to service following an impairment is shall be verified to be working properly (4.2.2)

Made available to the AHJ upon request (4.4.1) Maintained by owner (4.4.3) Original records kept for life of building (4.4.4) Subsequent records kept for a period of one year after next scheduled task (4.4.5)

Performance testing allowed if approved by the AHJ (4.6.1.1.1) If water supplies, including pumps are taken out of service during testing and maintenance impairment procedures must be followed unless under constant attendance by qualified personnel (4.6.3) Test results are compared to original test or most recent test results (4.6.4)

Chapter 5

Table 5.1 Summary of Sprinkler System Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance

Inspection of Sprinklers
From the floor (5.2.1.1) Omit areas above ceilings (5.2.1.1.4) Condition of sprinklers (5.2.1.1.2)
Painted Corroded or Loaded Damaged Orientation

Inspection of Sprinklers
Glass bulbs (5.2.1.1.3) Recalled Sprinklers (5.2.1.1.6) Obstructions limited to clearance below the sprinkler (5.2.1.2)

Inspection of Pipe and Fittings

From the floor (5.2.2) Omit areas above ceilings (5.2.2.3) Condition of pipe and fittings (5.2.2.1)
Damage Leakage and Corrosion

Inspection of Pipe and Fittings

External loads (5.2.2.2)

Inspection of Hangers and Braces

From the floor (5.2.3) Omit areas above ceilings (5.2.3.3) Condition of hangers and braces (5.2.3.1)
Damaged Loose

Inspection of other components

Spare sprinklers (5.2.1.3) Gauges (5.2.4.) Buildings for freeze protection (5.2.5) Alarm Devices (5.2.6) Hydraulic Nameplate (5.2.7)

Testing of components
Sprinklers Gauges replaced or tested with calibrated gauge every 5 years (5.3.2)

Maintenance
Replacement sprinklers must have the required characteristics for the application (5.4.1) Only new sprinklers shall be used (5.4.1.2) Dry sprinkler replacement (5.4.1.4.2.1)

Maintenance
Dry pipe systems shall be kept dry at all times (5.4.2) Compressors maintained in accordance with manufacturers instructions (5.4.2.3)

Maintenance
Component Action Requirements
Table 5.5.1 Summary of Component Replacement Action Requirements Main drain test required if upstream valves were operated (5.5.1.2) Design review not required (5.5.1.3)

All remaining system chapters are organized in a similar format.

Chapter 13

Table 13.1
Inspections Testing Maintenance

General Provisions
All valves shall be protected from damage (13.2.3) Verify for adequate drainage before opening valve or drain (13.2.4)

General Provisions
Main drain test shall be conducted annually (13.2.5) Main drain test shall be conducted quarterly where sole water supply is through a backflow preventer or pressure reducing valve (13.2.5.1) 10 percent reduction in residual requires investigation (13.2.5.2)

CONTROL VALVES

Control Valves
Systems with more than one control valve shall have a sign on each valve referring to the existence and location of the other valves (13.3.1.1) Retroactive

Control Valves
All valves shall be inspected monthly if supervised or weekly if not (13.3.2.1 and 13.3.2.1.1) All valves must be operated annually (13.3.3.1) Valve supervisory switches shall be tested semi-annually (13.3.3.5.1)

Chapter 14

Inspection
Internal inspection at 5 year intervals by opening the end of one main and removing a sprinkler toward the end of one branch line (14.2.1) When uncorrected conditions exist (14.2.2) the system shall receive a four point inspection every 5 years (14.2.3.2)

Inspection
Pipe passing into freezer or cold storage rooms shall be internally inspected annually (14.3) Alternative nondestructive examinations are permitted (14.2.1.1 and 14.3.1)

Chapter 15

Coordinator (15.2) Tagging (15.3) Preplanned Impairments (15.5)

Emergency Impairments (15.6) Restoring the system to service (15.7)

Questions and Answers