The National Fire Code of Canada (NFCC), Section 6.5, requires each facility to ensure that they
have an up-to date inventory of the sprinkler systems. This provides the ability to determine the
number and types of spare sprinklers to have on site. This will also serve to identify any potentially defective sprinklers there may be in case of a product recall or advisory. As per National Call Letter 2015-2016 section 3.7.
The replacement of potentially defective (voluntary recall) Omega, Star and Central sprinklers should have been completed in all facilities. A defect advisory was published in August 2001 by the US Dept. of Energy, regarding Grinnell F950 sprinklers following numerous accidental activations. So far, 7 such "unexplained" activations have occurred in our buildings, 6 in Ontario region and 1 in Western region. Should Grinnell F950 sprinklers be present, a risk analysis should be performed to identify the most vulnerable areas, i.e., electronic data processing areas, archived data/material storage, offices directly serving the public such as passports, etc., which may be adversely affected by an inadvertent sprinkler activation, and weigh the potential cost of loss or damage, embarrassment to the Crown, etc., against the immediate cost for replacement of the heads in these areas. The
replacement of all Grinnell F-950 type heads should be identified in the BMPs over a long term
period, (5-10 yrs.) depending on risk. Attention should also be given to older facilities where
sprinkler systems have been in use for 50 years or longer.
The NFCC (6.5.4.13) requires sample testing to be performed after 50 years and every 10 years
thereafter. Since the types and quantities of sprinklers vary greatly from building to building, it is
recommended that an estimate be obtained from your sprinkler service provider.
During the site inspection it was observed that the gauges were set between 90 and 110 psi
respectfully. It could be that most of the system had lost 20 psi over a period of time. It was also
noticed that a lot of existing heads are very close to expiration. We are recommending that a 150
psi air test be done on all the systems for a minimum of 4 hours to determine any loss in pressure
or leaks. We would be able to remove and check existing pipes for wear. Then we would be able to make a final recommendation to replace the pipes if necessary. The work can be done after
business hours and weekends.
