Some time back, I posted asking for folks to help provide some questions that "potential clients" could ask when shopping for a sprinkler service provider. The hope was that our local business community will use these questions to figure out why one contractor would have a higher bid price versus the fly by night low bid contractor who then starts adding costs on when we reject the confidence test because it's incomplete.
I unfortunately didn't get any responses or suggestions initially. So, I'm posting the questions that I was able to come up with in my little brain with hopes that some of you folks in the industry can set me straight (or maybe this will help generate better or cleaner questions). I will gladly provide links to the final versions once I get this wrapped up but in the meantime, if you have any further comments, suggestions, ideas, please send them back to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> . This is still a draft version....... Thanks in Advance, David M. Smith, Deputy Fire Marshal Vancouver Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office 900 W. Evergreen Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98660 360-759-4408 Phone 360-418-5619 Pager Questions to Ask Potential Service Providers 1) May I see proof that your company has all applicable state, county and city licenses? Such as: a. State of Washington UBI number, City of Vancouver Business License b. Professional liability and/or errors & omissions insurance c. Licensed contractor as issued by WA Labor & Industries and State Fire Marshal's Office 2) What is the minimum level of certification or training for employees that will be inspecting/testing or maintaining my system? Do they carry proof of certification or employee identification cards (wallet cards) that I can verify while they are on site? Minimum and recommended are: a. Certified by the WA State Fire Marshal's Office as an Inspection Testing Technician (ITT Level) b. National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies Level II - Inspection, Testing and Maintenance for Fire Sprinkler Systems c. Inspection, testing and maintenance on fire pumps, pre-action, deluge type or foam based sprinkler systems requires additional training and experience. Ask if employees are factory trained and certified by the specific manufacturer for any of the equipment tested on the property d. A current WA journeyman electrical (or limited energy) license for persons 'testing' electrical control circuits that may be part of the water flow monitoring valves, FACP, fire pump, pre-action, deluge or foam systems is required by WA State Department of Labor & Industries 3) Are you willing to name my business/property as an additional insured on the commercial general liability policy, and be shown as an additional insured, not as a certificate holder? 4) Given the installation of new or repair/replacement of certain fire sprinkler equipment requires a permit from the City of Vancouver Development Review Services, are the permit fees or charges included in your contract price (i.e. adding a sprinkler head under a roll up garage door)? 5) Will you provide me with a written quotation that details: a. Applicable equipment manufacturer's warranties b. Replacement costs for damaged, non-functioning or recalled equipment (i.e. gaskets, etc.) c. Additional service fees for standard or emergency maintenance d. Minimum service time or trip charges for required testing or emergency maintenance e. Applicable service and labor warranties f. Pricing based on term of the contract (1 year, 2 years, 3 years, etc.) and self-renewal intervals g. Time (in hours) expected it will take your firm to complete the inspection and testing of system h. Any additional recurring fees i. Runner service costs for responding to an alarm or water flow situation, and who responds to signals and how long will it take for a qualified technician to arrive at my property to fix the problem j. How quickly service calls can be performed 6) Will you provide any necessary training on required weekly or monthly inspections to my staff on our sprinkler system as part of the contract price? 7) Do you guarantee customer satisfaction and, if I am dissatisfied with your service, am I able to terminate my contract with no obligation? 8) Will I receive a pro-rated refund? What are the cancellation options? 9) Will your technician leave me a copy of an unalterable field report upon completion of the testing? 10) If parts of my sprinkler system are needed for repairs or to keep my system in service, how long will it take you to obtain the parts and replace them? 11) Are your inspectors qualified to make repairs at the time deficiencies are found or will you need to send another employee back? How long will it take to schedule a return visit to make the repairs? 12) The fire code requires that the Fire Marshals Office be notified when a system is not functioning, will your firm contact them on my behalf with a description of the problem and your correction plan or will I need to do it? Does your firm utilize a "tag out" procedure for identifying systems that are inoperable? 13) If my fire alarm and/or sprinkler system becomes inoperable, will your company provide and maintain the necessary fire watch as required by the fire code? What would be the hourly rate we would be charged for that? 14) The Fire Marshals Office requires owners to maintain copies of test reports onsite and contractors to submit copies of the annual test reports to their office for review. Are you willing to leave a copy onsite and provide them with copies of all test reports on my behalf as testing is completed? Fire Sprinkler Equipment Questions The following questions are more specific and will help you identify the portions of the system that will be tested by the contractor as well as information they will provide on the test report. Please see PIB # 901 and 912 for a detailed description of the frequency and procedure/protocol for conducting these tests. A portion of the questions below may or may not be applicable to your particular facility. 15) What is the Contractor's Test and Materials Certificate and why does NFPA 25 require I provide it to you prior to conducting any testing or maintenance work? What should I do if I have not kept the original or updated copy on file? 16) Will you need a copy of "as-built" or record drawings of my facility to ensure a comprehensive maintenance program is established? 17) I don't have a copy of the manufacturer's literature or record drawings as required by NFPA 25 and the local AHJ. Do you really need them and how do you suggest we solve this deficiency? 18) I don't have a copy of NFPA 25, am I supposed to have one available? 19) I'm unable to produce records that the specified 5 year interval testing has been done and the date(s) it was last completed. What will happen if you mark that down on your report as needing to be completed at this time? Will it cost me additional money for your service after the Fire Marshal's Office rejects the test report as incomplete without that record available? 20) Do your technicians have a copy of applicable fire codes and installation/maintenance standards and can they explain to me what's required now versus when the system was installed? 21) What is the difference between a visual inspection versus a comprehensive inspection and testing program? Does your pricing include just a visual inspection or a comprehensive program in full accordance with NFPA 25? 22) The submission of a system test report showing a deficiency will result in the fire department coming out to do an on-site evaluation of the problem. If valid, this will result in an additional inspection fee from the City of Vancouver. If deficiencies are found, will you correct them automatically before submitting the test report to the fire department so the information submitted identifies that all problems found have been repaired in order to save me the additional inspection fee? 23) Will your inspectors be verifying that my current storage conditions are satisfactory for the current sprinkler system so I don't get issued a Correction Notice by the fire department's inspectors during their inspection for having inadequate protection based on my storage arrangement? 24) Does it matter that we've changed the layout of our building by adding or removing a few walls during our last space improvement since our last system inspection? 25) Will the technician testing the supervision of control circuits (water flow alarms, fire pump, etc.) be a licensed electrician and possess the applicable Vancouver Fire Marshal's Endorsement for working on electrical circuits? If not, will you be able to coordinate having a qualified person on site at the time of your inspection to test all of the systems, including electrical components at once? 26) Will the individuals inspecting my property be evaluating my system with regards to the following items or just making sure the system is 'visually installed and present'? a. Sprinkler heads installed are properly spaced (i.e. no obstructions or improperly spaced heads) b. Sprinkler heads or other equipment installed is not part of any type of product recall and if they are will advised accordingly so that they can be replaced in accordance with the fire code c. Sprinkler system is adequate for particular hazard or current storage arrangements of our facility i. Design density is adequate for high piled storage arrangement ii. Hazardous material quantities within sprinklered area are within fire code requirements d. All sprinkler riser hydraulic design, Sprinkler Riser Room, Fire Department Connection signage, etc., is in place and meets the fire code requirements e. Pressure gauges are properly calibrated or replaced accordingly Standpipes 1. Does my building/facility have standpipes? If so, what kind? (wet, dry, combination) 2. NFPA 25, Section 6.3.1.1 requires that a flow test be conducted every 5 years. How does your company conduct flow tests in standpipes? Where will the water source come from and what will the flow rate need to be? 3. Will I have to pay to rent a water meter if you connect a hose to a fire hydrant or is the water usage costs included in the price quote? 4. Does your basic inspection quote include the rental fee of a large pump if necessary or the hiring of off-duty fire department personnel to achieve the proper water flow rate at roof level of our high-rise building? 5. Will your test report indicate the water source used during the test and if necessary, the type of pump? 6. Will your test report clearly identify the location that the flow tests were conducted so that the Vancouver Fire Department will know it was the hydraulically most remote segment to be tested? 7. Does our standpipe include any type of Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV)? Will your report indicate which floors or areas these PRV's are located and the pressure the PRV's are set at? 8. How do you verify that these are all set at the proper operating pressure that meet the Vancouver Fire Department's operating guidelines? (Failure to do this could result in inadequate water pressure in firefighter hose lines in the event of a fire) Foam Systems 1. Please describe the type of foam system within my facility and the required testing needed (hydrostatic testing of tanks, pump, etc.) 2. NFPA 25 requires that the fire department be notified when testing is done on a foam system. Will you coordinate that notification on my behalf? 3. Will your technician be taking a sample of foam during a full flow test to verify the foam-water concentration? 4. What method will be used to verify the concentration for the foam-water solution? 5. Will your company obtain a sample of the foam concentrate for testing? Will your company test the foam concentrate or will that be done offsite? If offsite, who does the testing and is that cost included in your proposal. 6. Will the technicians confirm that the piping and discharge devices are listed for use as a complete system? 7. Will the technicians verify that there is an adequate drainage area? 8. What environmental issues might arise with the discharge of foam during the testing and how can that be mitigated to prevent problems with the water/environmental agencies? Do I need to notify any other agencies that foam will be produced on-site and possibly discharged into the sewer or river system? 9. Will your technicians be confirming that the water supply in my facility is adequate for the foam system? 10. Is my facility equipped with open spray devices and if so, will you be verifying the spray discharge pattern every year as part of the contract price? If this interrupts our daily operations, can you do this at an off-peak time for the same fee? Fire Pumps This is the next section I'm working on.......looking for help/suggestions. _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
