Fire Protection Impairment Management Services

Reduce fire hazards while servicing sprinklers, alarms, and other equipment

A fire protection impairment is a period when critical equipment like sprinklers, alarms, and extinguishing systems are out of service. Impairments are inevitable throughout the lifecycle of these systems because of planned maintenance and unplanned emergencies.

Proper management of fire protection impairments mitigates fire hazards while systems are down by minimizing downtime and restoring full protection as quickly as practical. It also includes plans that ensure systems are safe for employees to service. Proper fire protection impairment management can reduce the risk of injuries, property damage, and prolonged downtime.

Why Fire Protection Impairment Is Critical

When sprinklers can’t provide water or fire alarms don’t sound, facilities are at serious risk for catastrophe.

Yet, resolving fire impairments may still not be top-of-mind. Fire service equipment is not critical to day-to-day production or services. You don’t need fire protection equipment to run your manufacturing line or conduct other processes. Instead, fire alarms, sprinklers, and other equipment sit in the background and can be an afterthought. Getting them back to operational is critical. Oversights in the process or failing to resolve an impairment quickly can be catastrophic. .

Planned vs. Unplanned Impairments

Planned impairments. These scheduled system shutdowns allow for routine maintenance, planned repairs, or facility renovations. Scheduling ahead of time enables facility leaders to implement temporary fire protection safeguards and delay projects until all materials and personnel are available to complete a project quickly.

Unplanned impairments. Unscheduled interruptions to fire protection systems occur from damage, leaks, or other malfunctions. For example, a lift truck operator could break off a sprinkler head requiring shut down for a sprinkler system or an electric fault could damage an alarm system. Unplanned impairments typically last longer because facility leaders must secure supplies and personnel as well as create a repair plan.

Ready For a Fire Impairment Plan?

TÜV SÜD Global Risk Consultants has helped manage over 210,000 fire protection impairments through our on-line impairment management system. It offers fire protection impairment management services that can reduce the risk of accidents and downtime. Features include:

• Education on critical information
• Algorithms that notify appropriate people of an impairment. The system can alert top executives if the impairment covers critical areas for an extended period. If it’s just a routine impairment, it can notify site-level engineers.
• Reminders to users/managers if notification of restoration is delayed.
• Confirmation that appropriate checks have been made and the impairment is finished.
• All your fire impairment data in one easy-to-access place
• Information on the severity and impact of a fire impairment
• Explanations on which parts of the system are out of service and expected downtimes

TÜV SÜD Global Risk Consultants can help develop and implement a fire impairment plan that can reduce downtime, decrease the likelihood of accidents, and keep your entire team notified of progress. If you would like to explore the development of a fire protection impairment plan, contact us today.

Contact Us