Competency Determined by State Laws or Local Ordinances
Several states license fire sprinkler contractors to assure competent sprinkler system installation. In most of these states, and even in states that do not have specific fire sprinkler contractor licensing laws, other requirements are placed upon contractors in areas such as financial stability, bonding, and insurance in order to protect the consumer.
Make a determination as to whether a statewide licensing law is in existence, and whether it applies to some or all residential occupancies. If no such law is in effect, consider developing a statewide or local program to maintain levels of competence. The administrative workload makes licensing at the state level more practical than at the local level.
If it is necessary to develop a system to ensure competency of installation, the following items should be considered. The steps in developing a licensing or certification program are:
- Identify the scope of the proposed program.
- Decide upon a specific course of action.
- Design and implement the program.
- Develop a system for continual evaluation of the success of the program.
Implementation of a program for determining contractor competency does not relieve the fire officials of the responsibility for periodic inspections of the installation to determine satisfactory performance.
Systems should be installed in complete accordance with the requirements of the applicable installation standards and the submitted working plans. Variations from approved working plans require the approval of the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
Determination of the correctness of system installation can only be performed prior to the application of sheetrock or other wall and ceiling covering. It is essential that pressure testing be conducted prior to the covering of system piping joints. Details of sprinkler spacing should be checked against needed clearances from fireplaces, stoves, ceiling fans, and other sources of heat or obstruction. Reference should be made to sprinkler manufacturers product installation instructions where guidance is needed relative to special situations, such as sloped ceilings. Is It Complete? A final visual inspection of each sprinkler, each gauge and the inspectors test station must also be performed.