NFPA 25: inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems 

01Systems covered

NFPA 25 sets minimum inspection, testing, and maintenance methods for all water-based fire protection systems, from sprinklers and fire pumps to valves, tanks, and standpipes.

Its requirements assume that the system was installed correctly in accordance with generally accepted practice. The inspector inspects and tests the system as installed and is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of its design or installation, except for the tasks where the standard itself requires it.

NFPA lists the following among the systems covered:

• Sprinkler systems.
• Standpipe systems.
• Private fire service mains.
• Fire pumps.
• Water storage tanks.
• Fixed water spray systems.
• Foam systems.
• Water mist systems.

02Owner responsibilities

Responsibility for inspection, testing, and maintenance lies with the owner or their designated representative, which may be the occupant, a management firm, or a managing individual, as set out in the lease, written use agreement, or management contract. Even when these activities are contracted to a service provider, the ultimate responsibility remains with the owner, who must ensure that they are performed at the specified frequencies and by a qualified person, on terms acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

Chapter 4 of the standard sets out these responsibilities. NFPA highlights the following among them:

• Having procedures for planned and unplanned impairments; chapter 15 sets out what the impairment program must include.
• Providing ready access to components that require inspection, testing, and maintenance, both inside and outside the building.
• Notifying the authority having jurisdiction, the fire department when required, and the alarm-receiving facility before testing or shutting down a system or its supply.
• Considering, together with the person doing the work, where discharged water will end up.
• Keeping areas with water-filled piping that has no other means of freeze protection at a minimum of 4 °C (40 °F).
• Ensuring that deficiencies and impairments are corrected or repaired in accordance with the applicable design and installation standard.
• Evaluating changes in occupancy, process or materials, the building, heating, storage, or water supply.

03Inspection, testing, and maintenance

The activities required by the standard range from simple, frequent visual checks, such as valve position or room or water tank temperature, to more complex activities at longer intervals, such as full flow tests and internal assessments.

Inspections include verifying that control valves are open, checking pressure gauges and the exterior of water storage tanks, and visually inspecting sprinklers from floor level. The intent of the standard is for the owner or their representative to perform many of the inspections, with personnel trained to a level acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

The tests summarized by NFPA include the main drain test, the dry pipe valve trip test, waterflow alarm tests, fire pump no-flow tests, and the fire pump flow performance test.

Maintenance includes the work required by the manufacturer and, for fire pumps, items such as batteries, the circulating water filter, engine oil and filters, and pump and motor bearings and coupling. If an inspection or test finds a deficiency or impairment, the repair is the job of a qualified person.

04Frequencies

NFPA 25 specifies not only the activities but also how often they must be performed, expressed as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual, annual, every three years, and every five years. A frequency can set both the minimum and the maximum time between one activity and the next: the more frequent ones are met within the calendar day, week, or month, while longer ones are measured by elapsed time rather than by calendar year.

For example, an annual frequency is defined as once per year, with a minimum of 9 months and a maximum of 15 months between inspections. The visual inspection of sprinklers is annual and is done from floor level; sprinklers in concealed spaces, such as above suspended ceilings, do not require inspection.

05Deficiencies and impairments

NFPA 25 distinguishes conditions that prevent a system from working in a fire from those with little or no effect on its operation: all must be corrected, but the former are more urgent. The owner or their representative must ensure that they are corrected or repaired in accordance with the applicable design and installation standard, and chapter 15 details the measures for impairments.

The standard classifies noncompliant conditions into three levels:

• Noncritical deficiency: it does not have a material effect on the ability of the system or unit to function in a fire, but correction is needed to meet the standard or for proper inspection, testing, and maintenance.
• Critical deficiency: if not corrected, it can have a material effect on the ability of the system or unit to function as intended in a fire.
• Impairment: the system, unit, or a portion of it is out of order, and this condition can result in it not functioning in a fire.

06Records

Every inspection, testing, and maintenance activity on a system and its components must be recorded. The owner is responsible for keeping these records, on paper or electronically, and for making them available to the authority having jurisdiction upon request.

Some jurisdictions require records to be submitted to the authority, while others review them during an inspection or whenever they decide.