Managing Periodic Testing and Records (NFPA 72-2022 Ch. 14 and Ch. 7)

NFPA 72-2022 Ch. 14 · NFPA 72-2022 Ch. 7 · NFPA 72-2022 Section 10.21 · NFPA 72-2022 §10.5.3 · NFPA 72-2022 §23.8.2.11 · NFPA 72-2022 §26.6.2.3 · NFPA 101-2021 §9.6.1 · Outline tasks 3.2.1, 3.2.3

What NICET expects at Level III

Tasks 3.2.1 (manage periodic testing) and 3.2.3 (prepare documentation and records) belong to the Maintenance domain, 25 to 35 percent of the Level III exam. At Level II you carry out a test and fill in the form. At Level III you decide what the program must contain, schedule it so every component is tested on or before its own due date, assign people who are allowed to do the work, coordinate with the owner, the supervising station, and other trades, and then review the paperwork the way an AHJ auditor would. Expect scenarios: Which plan complies? What is missing from this record? When is the next test due? Correcting impairments and deficiencies is task 3.2.2 and commissioning is 3.1.3, so this pack stays on the program and the records.

1. The two tables set the frequencies

Measure each interval from the component's own last test. The tables give only the frequency (Weekly, Quarterly, Semiannually, Annually) and state no grace period, so do not assume one: schedule each component on or before its due date, and use a tolerance only where the AHJ or the contract states it. A test split over several visits leaves every device on its own due date, and a device that was skipped stays overdue until it is actually tested. Testing and inspection follow the AHJ's schedule or the Table 14.4.3.2 and Table 14.3.1 frequency, whichever is more frequent (§14.3.1, §14.4.4). The 2022 edition has no Table 14.4.5; frequencies are in the Periodic Frequency column of the two tables.

2. What goes on the calendar

3. Test plan, notification, and crew

• Owner and contract (§14.2.3): the owner or designated representative is responsible. Where the owner is not the occupant, the duty can be delegated to the occupant or a management firm only through specific provisions in a lease, written use agreement, or management contract. ITM by anyone other than the owner is done under a written contract. Scope the contract from the two tables, not from habit.
• Test plan (§14.2.10): written, establishes the scope, and is documented with the results in the testing record. Segmenting a test over several visits is normal, but the plan must show what was and was not tested.
• Program and documents (§14.2.2.1, §14.2.5, §14.5.1): the program satisfies the Code and also conforms to the equipment manufacturer's published instructions. Before testing, the owner or designated representative gives the service crew, on request, the record of completion and the Chapter 7 information (specifications, wiring diagrams, floor plans).
• Notification (§14.2.4): before testing, everyone who receives signals (the supervising station) and the occupants; afterward, the same parties are told it is finished.
• People (§10.5.3, §14.2.6): testing personnel must know the code, the equipment, and the methods, with qualifications acceptable to the AHJ or shown by the §10.5.3 routes. For releasing service, the testers must also know the specific suppression arrangement and the hazards of inadvertent discharge; discharge testing is not required.
• Interfaces: test the emergency control function interface device (item 24), then verify that anything disabled is restored. The test frequency of other interfaced equipment is the one the applicable NFPA standard sets for the supervised equipment (§14.4.4.4, item 20). Special hazard circuits (item 18): cross-zone circuits are tested by operating one detector in each zone, verified or counting-zone circuits by operating the required sensors at a minimum of four locations, and the solenoid is verified without discharging agent.
• Supervising station: except for a DACT, the signal must be received within 90 seconds (item 4); a DACT also gets a line seizure test and a 4-minute trouble check for each means of transmission.
• Remote work: remote programming of transmitters (§26.6.2.3) needs a qualified person on site, notifications, a test plan, and a mitigation plan; when the transmission technology is integral to the control unit, a change to its site-specific software also brings the §14.4.2.4 test and the item 4 transmission tests. Remote access for testing (§23.8.2.11) limits reset, silence, and ECF operation to the portion out of service, with qualified people on site and a 1-hour inactivity timeout.
• Outages: automatic functions taken out of service for testing without a compensatory measure are an impairment (§14.2.2.2, Section 10.21). The service provider reports a system out of service more than 8 hours to the AHJ (NFPA 72); NFPA 101 §9.6.1 adds AHJ notice and evacuation or an approved fire watch past 4 hours in 24.
• Inaccessible devices (§14.4.4.1): may be tested at scheduled shutdowns with AHJ approval; the extended interval may not exceed 18 months.

4. Reacceptance and software

5. Batteries and sensitivity

VRLA batteries get semiannual temperature, charger, cell/unit voltage, and ohmic tests (a baseline ohmic value is recorded at installation; replace at a 30% conductance or 40% resistance deviation) and a replacement or load test every 3 years; passing the semiannual tests does not waive it. Replace at 80% capacity or less, or at the next scheduled test if below 85%. Smoke detector sensitivity is checked within 1 year of installation and then in alternate years; after the second in-range test it may be extended to a maximum of 5 years, measured from that last test (§14.4.4.3). System smoke detector functional tests are annual for every detector and are not rotated. Before any battery testing that disconnects power, make sure the software held in volatile memory is protected from loss (Table 14.4.3.2).

6. Records and reports

• Version tracking: a site-specific software change triggers testing and a revised record of completion; as good practice, record firmware revisions on the same change log. The owner receives the user passcode and the programming password (or how to obtain it) so another qualified vendor can work on the system (§7.5.7).
• Reporting: an uncorrected deficiency goes to the owner in writing within 24 hours; recall equipment is reported in writing; an observation may be communicated but need not be acted on.
• Audits and discrepancies: compare dates with the frequencies above. Devices found in the field but not in the records have no test history: test them, then correct the record drawings and completion records. If the original record of completion cannot be found, a new one documenting the configuration as discovered is required (§7.5.6.6.3). Records must be available for examination by the AHJ, and archiving by any means is acceptable if hard copies can be produced promptly (§7.7.1); revisions and alterations are recorded and kept with the original design documents (§7.7.1); record documents stay in the documentation cabinet, not inside the control unit (§7.7.2.3). When an impairment ends, the owner and the AHJ are notified (Section 10.21).

What to tab in your books

Chapter vocabulary

Periodic frequency

The interval in the Periodic Frequency column of Table 14.3.1 and Table 14.4.3.2 (for example weekly, quarterly, semiannual, annual); the AHJ may require more frequent inspection or testing.

Inspection

A visual check of location, condition, and obstruction, done at the Table 14.3.1 frequencies.

Testing

A functional check of operation, done by the methods and frequencies of Table 14.4.3.2.

Test plan

The written document that establishes the scope of testing and is kept with the test results.

Reacceptance testing

Testing after a change to the system, scaled to what was changed (Section 14.4.2).

Impairment

A condition in which a system or part of it is not functional, including planned out-of-service events.

Deficiency

A condition that does not meet code or design intent and must be corrected; if uncorrected at the end of ITM, the owner is told in writing within 24 hours.

Observation

A suggested correction or enhancement that is not an impairment or deficiency, such as an optional software update.

Permanent records

Reproducible as-built drawings, O&M manuals, written sequence of operation, and software documentation, kept for the life of the system.

Record drawings

Shop drawings updated to show the system as actually installed.

Record of completion

The form (Figure 7.8.2(a)) completed by the installer at acceptance and revised when the system is modified.

Site-specific software

Program that defines the inputs, outputs, labels, and operation of one installation.

Executive software

The control unit's operating program, also called firmware.

VRLA battery

Valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the sealed type used as standby power; it has its own semiannual tests and a 3-year replace-or-load-test rule.

Ohmic test

Measurement of a cell's conductance, resistance, or impedance, compared with the baseline recorded at installation.

Sensitivity test

Check that a smoke detector is within its listed and marked sensitivity range, done within 1 year and then in alternate years.

ECF interface device

The fire alarm system component that connects to an emergency control function, such as the relay that recalls an elevator.

Releasing service

Use of a fire alarm control unit to release a suppression system, which brings extra rules for testers and notification.

Mitigation plan

Plan naming who contacts the communications center if a real alarm occurs during remote programming of transmitters.

Remote access

Connection to a control unit from a remote device for testing, diagnostics, or software updates, with time-out and on-site personnel rules.

Documentation cabinet

The cabinet labeled SYSTEM RECORD DOCUMENTS where record documents are kept; none are stored inside the control unit.

Designated representative

The person the owner names to carry out the owner's inspection, testing, and maintenance responsibilities.

More Level III study guides

• 12-week study plan
• Shop Drawings and Submittals
• Life Safety Code and Building Code Applications
• Supervising Installation, Commissioning and Close-out
• Managing Periodic Testing and Records
• Resolving Impairments and Deficiencies
• Supervision, Project Management and Professional Conduct
• Level III tabbing guide for your printed code books
• Strategy with printed code books
• Key numbers (NFPA 72 · NEC · OSHA)
• Formulas and conversions
• Fire alarm glossary for the NICET exams