​It’s comforting when your facilities are safeguarded by a world-class fire protection system – but don’t get too comfortable.

For your system to function at its best – and for you to avoid potentially significant restoration or compliance issues – it’s vital to keep your fire protection system on a regular schedule of inspection, testing and maintenance.

What could happen if you didn’t? The immediate danger is that your system may not function the way it’s supposed to in an emergency. If, for example, a fire alarm speaker had been painted over and was no longer able to emit the right audibility level to alert occupants, it would put lives at greater risk.

The financial danger is no less real. Should fire strike your facility and cause some damage, your insurance company will request your maintenance records as part of the claims process – and if maintenance has not been kept up, the claim could be denied, potentially leaving you with a very large rebuilding bill. Worse yet, if someone got hurt in the fire, you could be targeted in a costly civil suit.

That’s why it simply makes sense to adhere to your recommended inspection, testing and maintenance schedules. But here’s the good news: the cost is far outweighed by the benefits, and you can perform many of the tasks yourself.

And as an added bonus, a properly inspected, tested and maintained life safety system is more reliable and not as prone to nuisance alarms.​

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