Fire Alarm Verification Report

[Maggie Szydlowski]

LinkedInand 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. Learn more in our Cookie Policy.

For those unfamiliar with fire alarm installation requirements in Canada, the Verification Appendix "C" Report is the final seal of approval on either a brand new system or a modification to an existing one. It's supposed to document the testing performed by a competent individual that should be well versed in the relevant requirements of the National Building Code (as adopted by your Province/Territory of residence), Sections 10 and 32 of the Canadian Electrical Code (CSA C22.1), the Standard for Installation of Fire Alarm Systems (CAN/ULC-S524), the Standard for Verification of Fire Alarm Systems (CAN/ULC-S537), and the Standard for Installation and Services for Fire Signal Receiving Centres and Systems (CAN/ULC-S561).

The Appendix "A" doesn't mention any formal certification requirements, membership in any national (or Provincial) professional association, or anything in the way of the specific training or experience required. In point of fact, it simply states that the suitable formal training or sufficient experience only has to be acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

So, how does an authority having jurisdiction determine that an individual that's going to be conducting the most important inspection and rigorous test that a fire alarm system is going to undergo in its lifetime, has both the knowledge of this Standard and the suitable formal training or sufficient experience?

Even the City of Vancouver's carefully crafted criteria in their Bulletin 2003-009EL, which also happens to list the individuals acceptable to perform the Verification of a fire alarm system within their jurisdiction (at the time of this writing), has not been a guarantee that the equipment's installation meets all of the criteria in the Codes and Standards we listed in the opening paragraph of this article.

There are two "versions" of the Standard for Verification of Fire Alarm Systems currently referenced in Provincially adopted Building Codes, with Alberta and the Town of the Blue Mountains (in Ontario) being the only two jurisdictions where CAN/ULC-S537-13 (the newest published edition of this Standard) is being used. What's unique here is that the Installation, Verification, and Annual Inspection Standards are properly aligned with each other. In all other Canadian jurisdictions, the Verification Standard (CAN/ULC-S537-04) is based on the "-01" edition of the Installation Standard when, in actual fact, CAN/ULC-S524-06 is referenced in the Building Code. When NBC 2015 is adopted Provincially, we're all going to be facing the problem of two inspection Standards that reference an Installation Standard that they're out-of-step with. NBC 2015 is going to reference CAN/ULC-S524-14 , CAN/ULC-S536-13 and CAN/ULC-S537-13. Both inspection Standards happen to be predicated on the previous published version of the Installation Standard, CAN/ULC-S524-06.

Criteria for rejection of any Appendix "C" report an AHJ receives should first be predicated on whether ALL of the appropriate sections are included and properly completed. Those sections that don't apply to the system being Verified should still be included and should be marked Not Applicable. Why? How else can an AHJ even begin to determine that the individual that's completed the Appendix "C" is familiar with this Standard and may actually possess a valid copy of it?

The referenced Sections of the Standard represent the MINIMUM documentation that must be included in any Appendix "C" Report form you happen to be reviewing. Additional inspection and testing items can be added, at the discretion of the AHJ, the Verifier, or the Designer (as we have done with the documentation available on the FORMS page at www.firetechs.net and as the City of Vancouver has modified the C1 - Report form in their Bulletin 2000-021-BU/EL).

In the other parts of this series, we'll be discussing the fire alarm system field devices that must be documented on the Appendix C6.1 and C6.2 pages, the testing required for the power supply and emergency power supply, annunciators, stand-alone operation, isolators on addressable systems, duct detectors, electrical supervision, ancillary circuits, Class "A" circuit wiring requirements, signalling circuits, etc.

If you have any particular concerns, or have a suggestion for a Section (or part) of the Standard you'd like to ensure gets covered, please don't hesitate to comment below, or send me a private message or email.

CAN/ULC-S537-13 is the Verification Standard specified in NBC 2015. CAN/ULC-S524-14 is the Fire Alarm Installation Standard specified in the same Code. How does a Verifier resolve the conflict between the two different versions of Table 2 (System Response Times)?

I will be replacing the CPU, all modules, power supply and batteries inside fire alarm panel due to water damage. This is a 12 story building, with 150 units. When conducting the Verification, do all devices in the suites and common areas require testing, or can I test one device per circuit, per floor?

I'm verifying a building with System Sensor C2W-BA smoke detectors installed. Does observation of the LED flash pattern and comparing it to the table in the installation instructions constitute "Sensitivity Testing" as defined in the Standard?

I'm concerned with the attached fire alarm Verification Report. It doesn't remotely resemble another report we received on a similar project we manage in Burnaby. What should we do, and whom do we contact to give us the proper information?

Alberta requires that the Design Engineer be involved in the fire alarm Verification. Does this not conflict with the requirements of the Standard for Verification of Fire Alarm Systems (CAN/ULC-S537-04)?

It is a sad fact that some manufacturer trained technicians are often ill prepared to actually identify even their own incorrectly installed fire alarm equipment (or the required wiring), let alone flag an installation as unacceptable which might jeopardize an established business relationship with the contractor (or the Registered Professional) under whose auspices they may have been contracted. It has been our experience that a good proportion of them are more concerned with ensuring the system is properly programmed (the software required has become even more complex partly as a result of the introduction of "mass notification" requirements and the firmware changes this has prompted). Manufacturer training should not automatically qualify a technician to perform a Verification! While the system software can undergo a form of programming verification, or program checking , the training that is provided by many manufacturers should not be confused with the required knowledge of the Standard, the various Codes and local Bylaws that are the means by which a fire alarm system installation is confirmed as having been installed correctly in accordance with CAN/ULC-S524 and the design. The Standard for Verification of Fire Alarm Systems does not specifically identify anything that is manufacturer specific in the suitable formal training required of a qualified individual (in point of fact it would be ILLEGAL for any Canadian Standard to do so).

This Standard expects that the verification procedure described herein will be conducted and documented in accordance with the administrative requirements stipulated by jurisdictional regulations and the Authority Having Jurisdiction.

It is recognized that the designer is often an engineering professional independent from the installing contractor and the qualified individual conducting the verification. Jurisdictional requirements and the Authority Having Jurisdiction should be consulted to determine the requirements of qualifications and professional independence of the system designer, installing contractor and the individual conducting the verification.

Regulations and the AHJ may require that a fire alarm system is designed by, and reviewed, and signed by a professional engineer. In case where professional engineering involvement is not explicitly required by jurisdictional requirements and in the absence of acceptance criteria established by the AHJ, the verification may be conducted by an organization other than the installing contractor and designer, as long as it is carried out by qualified personnel in the employ of an organization acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

Any person who performs the verification of a fire alarm system is to be familiar with this Standard and have received suitable formal training or sufficient experience acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

-- CAN/ULC 537:2019 Annex A1.1

When-ever a new fire alarm system is installed is the "simple" answer, but there are many more instances where a Verification is required. When-ever you make a material change or alteration to an existing fire alarm system a Verification must follow. This includes changing a defective field device with a new one, adding a new field device, changing out a remote annunciator, common control, or power supply. If you replace a card or plug-in board in the common control any affected circuits MUST be verified. When changing a defective field device where wiring is not disturbed or has to be disconnected (as is the case with smoke and heat detectors that incorporate "plug-in" style bases), an actual report documenting the Verification isn't required. In all other instances, you must follow the procedures outlined in Section 7 of CAN/ULC-S537-13 (Section 6 of CAN/ULC-S537-04) without exception.

I'm testing a building with System Sensor C2W-BA smoke detectors installed. Does observation of the LED flash pattern and comparing it to the table in the installation instructions constitute "Sensitivity Testing" as defined in the Standard?

3a8082e126