It’s one thing to have a fire protection sprinkler system installed in your building but it’s another thing entirely to ensure that the system you choose is appropriate for your needs. From the very start of the design process, the goal of your new fire protection system needs to be to safeguard people and protect property, so lives can be saved, and your property restored as quickly as possible.
If you want to learn how to design a fire protection system that works for your unique needs, then here are some steps you can follow to help ensure you get the fire protection system that best suited for building.
Step 1: Check Your Local Fire Codes
If you are adding or changing the fire protection system in your building, then the first thing you need to do is to check the current fire codes in your township. To pass inspection, your system needs to meet the minimum legal requirements for your type of structure. To learn more about the fire code in your area, contact your local municipal building or Fire Marshall.
Step 2: Determine What Type of Detection System You Want Installed
A fire protection system only works as good as its detection system. After all, the detectors are what signal the sprinklers and alarms to activate. Today, there are several types of detection systems you can choose from, including those with new technologies that enable the system to detect heat as well as smoke. With this type of detection system installed, your fire protection system will have a better chance of stopping a small fire before it grows.
Step 3: Determine What Types of Alarms and Notifications You Want Installed
The alarms and notification system are essential for alerting the population of your building of a possible fire, so they can evacuate as calmly and quickly as possible. Your system should not only feature pull stations to trigger alarms and loud alerts to warn the people inside your building, but also an automated notification system that can alert your local fire station and emergency responders of the location and severity of the fire, so they can respond to the situation as quickly as possible.
Step 4: Choose the Right Fire Suppression for Your Building’s Needs
Every building’s fire suppression system needs are unique, and the type needed is determined by what and where the system will be protecting. For example, while a sprinkler system is the most common form of fire suppression for residential buildings, it is not appropriate for use in spaces where sensitive equipment or documents are stored. In such a space, a chemical suppression system will be a more appropriate choice because it won’t damage the contents of the space. Knowing what you need to protect will help you choose the right fire suppression system for your building’s spaces.
Step 5: Schedule Your Fire Protection System to Be Inspected Regularly
With all luck, you will never have to rely on your fire protection system, but if ever you do, you want to ensure that it will work as designed. To ensure your system is always primed to respond, it should be inspected at regular intervals by fire safety professionals. Schedule your fire safety system to be inspected at least once a year, as well as every time after being deployed.
Contact Metro Fire Inspections Today to Schedule Your Installation or Inspection
Instead of taking the time to learn how to design a fire sprinkler system for your structure, leave it to the pros. Metro Fire Inspections can provide you with full-service design, installation, testing, and maintenance for your fire protection systems. We are licensed in all five boroughs of NYC, Westchester County, Nassau County and Suffolk County. We adhere to all required building and fire safety codes and statutes for fire suppression system design, installation, and maintenance, and our professional experience allows us to work with the authorities having jurisdiction on a given project to remove any violations efficiently and effectively.
Contact Metro Fire Inspections today at 631-994-0081 to schedule an appointment with one of our design or inspection professionals or send us a message to receive a free quote.