No one knows for sure how our world will change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there will be changes. In the short term, as the United States starts to re-open facilities, we need to prepare for additional building entry procedures and ITM post-COVID-19.

Security will likely include temperature taking and health screening questions. Service, maintenance, and inspection personnel need to be provided with masks, gloves, and other PPE. Disinfectant wipes will need to be added to toolboxes so for use on the fire control panel.

Gone are the days when a crew can easily access a building and have free roam of the stairwells to access sprinkler system valves. Bottom line, property owners and occupants will want to limit the number of outsiders entering their buildings, limit the areas of the building they access, and limit the amount of time they will be on site.

The fire protection industry can’t let interruptions to inspection, testing, and maintenance undermine long-term fire sprinkler system integrity. That will mean using products that ease the time service contractors need to be on-site and the areas they need to access. Although developed to solve other system-related issues, AGF Manufacturing has products to address concerns of a post-COVID-19 environment.

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and Differentiate Yourself in a Crowded Marketplace

With the increased emphasis on the 5-year obstruction investigation, one might be left to wonder when it became a requirement.  Well, the requirement has been lurking in NFPA 25, the Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, for over 20 years but became clearly defined in the 2002 edition. Most insurance companies now require 5-year internal pipe inspections as a condition of their coverage. Some have denied claims for damage done by system-related issues if a building owner can’t prove that the system has been maintained correctly and internally inspected every 5 years.

Continue reading How to Offer a Better Five-Year Obstruction Investigation →

Two Upgrades that Save Thousands

A broken auxiliary drain, sometimes referred to as a drum drip, is at best an inconvenience to building tenants. At the worst, it costs facility owners thousands (or in some cases, hundreds of thousands) of dollars. One international furniture retailer reported that shutting down due to a broken auxiliary drain cost them $50,000 per hour in lost business, plus the cost of system maintenance and fines paid to the fire department for responding to a false system trip.

Continue reading Beyond the Basic Auxiliary Drain →