PLACENTIA, CALIFORNIA — California businesses install fire protection systems and fire alarms in their buildings, but hope they never have to use them.

Although having a building catch fire is unlikely, it is a good idea to perform routine fire alarm system tests so property owners can be confident that in the unlikely event of a fire, they will function as planned, said Massoud Farazandeh, general manager of the Bay area fire protection company Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., an affiliate of American Professional Services (APS-Hoods).

Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. has provided Bay area fire system installations and other services from its Denver headquarters since the company began in 1989. However, in August 2009, the company opened a satellite location in Placentia, due to increased calls for service requests throughout California.

“Since we have had our fabrication plant in California, we have seen calls for Bay area fire suppression system services and installations increase exponentially,” Farazandeh said. “Because of that, we felt it was important to share some tips on how to properly maintain fire alarms so businesses can be better educated on when they need to call us for service.”

Numerous businesses do not conduct regular fire alarm tests. Those that do often fail to test the systems properly, he said. It is important that fire alarms be tested by trained, certified personnel. There are several entities that offer this certification, including the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies or the International Municipal Signal Association. Personnel also may be factory-trained and certified, according to an article in the NFPA Journal.

Mistakes frequently made by businesses when testing fire alarms include:

• Resetting the main panel while the break glass test key is in.
• Triggering the fire system from the evacuate button on the main fire alarm control panel.
• Testing from the same call point each time.
• Failing to document testing in a log book every time it is conducted, or not writing all pertinent details in the book.
• When testing a fire alarm on a weekly basis, these procedures should be followed:
• Notify staff of the time and date of the alarm testing.
• Make sure staff knows that the alarm should be treated as real if it sounds for longer than one minute.

Leave It To The Pros
Scheduling fire alarm tests is yet another task added to an already busy day for many business owners, so they opt to have a professional company do the work.

Hiring a Bay area fire sprinkler system company such as Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. certainly has its benefits, Farazandeh said.

“We’ve already established that there are several things that can be done incorrectly,” he said. “Hiring an expert in this area means the testing will be done correctly the first time.”

Farazandeh also offers same-day service for tagging and recharging extinguishers. Extinguishers must be tagged annually, which lets fire department inspectors know that it is charged and lists its inspection date. If a fire department representative sees an untagged extinguisher, the business owner can be fined.

Included in the the alarm testing process is a complete report that details the work done, any deficiencies found and repair recommendations, he said.

Learn More
If you would like more information about choosing a fire protection system installer or would like to learn more about Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., please call: (800) 750-7055, or visit the company’s Web site: http://www.nationwidefireprotection.com/.

About Nationwide Fire Protection Corp.
Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh founded Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. in 1989 and grew the business into a national leader in fire protection and hood cleaning of restaurants and facilities. The company’s comprehensive service offerings enable businesses to do what they do best, which is to focus on their customers and their business. In turn, NFP focuses on what it knows best- keeping businesses in compliance and ensuring the safety of restaurants, staff and patrons.
NFP prides itself on providing exemplary service, offers a quality guarantee and maintains a dependable and highly qualified staff. All crew members are professionally trained to comply with the National Fire Prevention Association Standards and state and local codes.
Nationwide Fire Protection is fully insured and bonded. It is licensed in fire protection contracting in addition to our licensure in the mechanical and electrical fields.

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