The Office of State Fire Marshal

Presented by:

Cynthia A. Obier: Architect Supervisor

Contacts: http://sfm.dps.Louisiana.gov/index.htm

• Plan Review: 225-925-4920

• Cynthia Obier• Cindy.obier@la.gov

• Fidel Fremin• Fidel.fremin@la.gov

• Jennifer Moreau• Jennifer.Moreau@la.gov

• Margaret Hill• Margaret.hill@la.gov

• Inspections:• Area 1: New Orleans Office

• 504-568-8506

• District Chief:Jerry Melanson (jerry.Melanson@la.gov)

• Area 2: Baton Rouge Office• 225-925-4911

• District Chief Mike Polito (mike.polito@la.gov)

• Area 3: Lafayette Office• 337-886-1273

• District Chief Damon Carter (damon.carter@la.gov)

• Area 4: Shreveport Office• 318-676-7145

• Captain Alton Teekle (alton.Teekle@la.gov)

District Coverage Map: Who are we and where do we come from?

Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4

• Yearly Inspections:• Education (lower)• Day Care • Hospitals• Detention (every 6 months)

• Systems Inspected:• Fire Alarm

• Fire drill records• Smoke removal systems• Fire Watch records

• Sprinkler• Fire Extinguishers• Hood suppression systems• Generators• Testing logs• Special locking• Fire barrier integrity• Boilers

Inspection of all building leased or owned by the State of Louisiana

Tags

Tags

Certification Tag (green)

a. In addition to any other tag required by the rules, an external verification collar shall be provided each time an extinguisher is opened up for any type of maintenance or for any purpose.

b. External verification collars shall bear the following:

c. The certificate number of servicing firm (preprinted or printed in permanent ink

d. Name and license number of the person who performed the service (preprinted or printed in permanent ink)

e. Month and year that the service was performed (to be punched)

Certification Tag (green)

a. "DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL" (all capital letters in bold face type);

b. firm's name, physical address and telephone number;c. firm's State Fire Marshal certificate number;d. technician's name and State Fire Marshal license

number to be printed on tag either at the time of service or preprinted;

e. technician's signature to be signed at time of service (no preprinted signatures nor initials are permitted; apprentices are not permitted to sign tags);

f. day, month and year in which the certification was performed (must be punched through certification tag at designated marks for day, month and year; designated marks for day, month and year shall only be punched once per tag);

g. type of work performed. Only installation or certification shall be noted on tag for type of work performed (must be punched through the certification tag).

h. serial number of special locking system’s control panel if present;

i. owner of system and address of owner (to be noted on rear of tag).

Partial Impairment Tag (yellow)

a. "DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL" (all capital letters in bold face type);

b. firm's name, physical address and telephone number;c. firm's State Fire Marshal certificate number;d. technician's name and State Fire Marshal license number to be

printed on tag either at the time of service or preprinted;e. technician's signature to be signed at time of inspection (no

preprinted signatures nor initials are permitted; (apprentices are not permitted to sign tags);

f. day, month and year in which the impairment was found (to be punched through service tag at designated marks for day, month and year; designated marks for day, month and year shall only be punched once per tag);

g. type of impairment found (to be hand written on rear of tag);If additional space is needed to note the impairments, then multiple tags shall be used noting 1 of 2, 2 of 2, etc.;

h. serial number of special locking system’s control panel if present;

i. business owner or tenant and physical address of where the system is located (to be noted on rear of tag).

Impairment Tag (red)

• "DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL" (all capital letters in bold face type);

• firm's name, physical address and telephone number;• firm's State Fire Marshal certificate number;• technician's name and State Fire Marshal license number to be

printed on tag either at the time of service or preprinted;• technician's signature to be signed at time of inspection (no

preprinted signatures nor initials are permitted; (apprentices are not permitted to sign tags);

• day, month and year in which the inspection was performed (to be punched through service tag at designated marks for day, month and year; designated marks for day, month and year shall only be punched once per tag);

• type of impairment found (to be hand written on rear of tag);If additional space is needed to note the impairments, then multiple tags shall be used noting 1 of 2, 2 of 2, etc.;

• serial number of special locking system’s control panel if present;

• business owner or tenant and physical address of where the system is located (to be noted on rear of tag).

Fire Watch requirements: It shall be the

responsibility of management to ensure that fire watch personnelare capable of performing all functions of a fire watch

Each facility shall ensure that fire watch personnel are familiar with the site specific emergency plans for dealing with fires and other emergencies.

Each facility shall ensure that fire watch personnel are familiar with the procedures to follow in the recognition and reporting of an emergency, including:

(a) When and how to use radio equipment, telephone, and private or public alarm boxes to summon aid.

(b) How to notify the fire brigade, the municipal fire department, and other emergency response organizations.

(c) The personnel to be contacted.

Fire watch personnel shall be provided with a means for continuous communication (i.e., two-way radio; walkie-talkies; etc.) with a constantly attended location such as the administrative office where a public address announcement can be made throughout all buildings in the event of an emergency.

A continuously updated directory of names, telephone numbers, and other information to assist in making emergency calls shall be kept at the facilities administrative office. This directory shall include the telephone numbers of key facility personnel to be notified in an emergency, fire, police and emergency medical service departments, and other outside agencies needed in an emergency.

In the event that a required fire alarm/sprinkler system is determined to be not in proper working order for more than four (4) hours in a twenty-four (24) hour period or is not installed, the following actions shall be taken by the facility or the building shall be vacated:

Notify the State Fire Marshal District Office, the local fire department and all facility personnel, in writing, that the fire alarm/sprinkler system is not operational.

Establish a temporary fire watch by individuals* who are dedicated solely to fire watch duty.

Provide fire watch personnel with a means of identifying themselves as authorized representatives of the facility.

Fire watch personnel shall make rounds at one (1) hour intervals. When operations in the property normally are suspended, officers shall make rounds hourly. During the rounds, the fire watch personnel shall make a thorough inspection of all buildings or spaces including concealed areas, such as attics, unoccupied storage areas, etc. Fire watch personnel shall sign a log sheet maintained in the facility main office or other location approved by this office or fire department. Log sheet shall state begin time and end time of each individual round.

Each facility shall establish programs for fire watch personnel to ensure they are familiar with the property being protected, including:

(a) All buildings, occupancies, and hazards.

(b) Fixed fire protection systems.

(c) Manual and automatic detection and alarm systems.

(d) Portable fire protection equipment.

(e) Emergency shutdown procedures and equipment for which they areresponsible.

(f) The facility emergency action plan.

Fire sprinkler testing

• NFPA 25 dictates this fire sprinkler testing schedule:

• Quarterly: In order to be as effective as possible, fire sprinkler mechanical devices should be tested quarterly.

• Semiannually: Every six months, vane and pressure switch type devices must be tested.

• Annually: Full testing and tagging should be performed annually. During a complete fire sprinkler system test, the technician should perform physical checks on all parts of your fire sprinkler system. These checks include water flow tests, fire pump tests, antifreeze concentration tests (in applicable systems), alarm tests, and trip tests of dry pipe, deluge, and pre-action valves.

• Every 5 years: Sprinklers exposed to extra-high temperatures and harsh environments, along with gauges on all sprinkler system types, should be tested or replaced every five years.

• Every 10 years or more: Dry sprinklers should be tested or replaced every 10 years. Fast-response sprinklers should be tested after 20 years in use and every 10 years after that. Standard response sprinklers should be tested after 50 years in use and in 10-year intervals after that.

• An inspection is essentially a visual once-over to check the status of your sprinkler system. According to NFPA 25, this is the inspection schedule you should follow:

• Weekly or monthly: Inspect the gauges in dry, pre-action, and deluge systems as often as once a week. Wet pipe system gauges can go a month between inspections.

• Quarterly: Every three months, have the water flow alarm devices, valve supervisory alarm devices, supervisory signal devices, control valves, and hydraulic nameplates inspected.

• Annually: Once a year, inspect the hanger/seismic bracing, pipes and fittings, information signage, and spare sprinklers.

• Every 5 years: Conducting an internal inspection of sprinkler piping is only required once every five years.

Fire alarm testing

Annual Requirements

Battery discharge test (30 minutes)

Test & visual inspection of horns, strobes, chimes, & bells etc…

Test & visual inspection of smoke detectors

Test & visual inspection of heat detectors

Test & visual inspection of duct smoke detectors

Test & visual inspection of Electromechanical Releasing Devices (Solenoid)

Test & visual inspection of Voice Evacuation equipment

Other

Smoke Detector Cleaning: as test results require. Many newer fire alarm panels are capable of issuing maintenance alerts and adjusting sensitivity as the detector becomes dirtier. Both of these features reduce false alarms.

Smoke & heat detector replacement recommended after 10 years of service.

Weekly Requirement

Visual inspection of panel lamps & led’s, fuses, primary power supply, and interface equipment.

Quarterly Requirement

Test of panel lamps & led’s, fuses, primary power supply, and interface equipment.

Visual inspection of all fire sprinkler devices connected to the alarm. This includes water flow switches and valve tamper switches.

Test of fire pump monitor points (loss of phase, phase reversal, pump running etc...)

Semiannual Requirements

Test of sprinkler waterflow switches (by flowing water)

Test of sprinkler valve tamper switches

Visual inspection lead-acid battery (swelling or loose connections)

Test batteries - load voltage

Real life

• ‘Special locking’

• Jack and Jill bathrooms

• Chained locks

• ADA (dorms, sidewalks)

• Fire extinguisher time of use

• Portable heaters

• Extension cords

• Christmas trees!

• Building evacuation

• Fire drills