If the contractor did not notify the owner immediately but did it weeks later then he should be the one bearing the brunt of any disciplinary action, not the owner. Now if the Contractor can prove that the owner was notified before the official report was issued then that's a different story.
Craig L. Prahl, CET Fire Protection Group Mechanical Department CH2MHILL Lockwood Greene 1500 International Drive PO Box 491, Spartanburg, SC 29304-0491 Direct - 864.599.4102 Fax - 864.599.8439 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.lg.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Smith, David (VFD) Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 3:59 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Responsibility to Notify of Systems Out of Service I changed the subject heading but it's similar to the responsibility of the contractor vs. client (property owner) discussed below. We were recently notified (this morning) of a dry system in a building that was tested a month ago. The copy of the report we got identified that even after all of the air was drained, the valve did not trip. In fact, the air compressor was smoking and ultimately quit by the time the technician left. The report clearly states that the system would NOT OPERATE in the event of a fire. The property owner just received copies of the report on Tuesday. They are making repairs as I type. During the past month, it was business as usual in the building. From what I know at t his point, there was no fire watch, no records of an impairment coordinator, etc., as required in Chapter 9 of the IFC. The owner has a clearly detailed process for systems being off during working hours for another large building on the campus undergoing renovations. The owner should have been clearly aware that they needed a fire watch and that our office needed to be notified when the system was determined to be inoperative (IFC 901.7). Given that they didn't during this time, there will be code enforcement actions take upon the property owner. However, if the sprinkler contractor didn't notify the property owner of the problem that day and just noted it on the report which was typed up several days (or weeks) later --- or doesn't have a means to prove that they notified the property owner, should the same code enforcement actions be taken against the contractor? IFC 901.7 doesn't specify who's responsibility it is to "immediately" notify the fire department or fire official. However, IFC 901.7.1 clearly states it's the building owner's responsibility to assign an impairment coordinator; but in this case the contractor is an agent of the owner (operating under a contract). Further, NFPA 25 clearly states it's the responsibility of the property owner to maintain the system. Who's at fault? Property owner or contractor or both? Regards, 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 _______________________________________________ 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)
