Inspection Report Summaries.pdf

Brooklyn VA Semi-Annual Fire Alarm Inspection Report (December 2024)

Overall Condition

• All tested systems and devices passed inspection.

• No deficiencies were reported across all categories.

• The fire alarm system, including panels, initiating devices, notification appliances, and supervisory functions, is in excellent operational condition.

Systems Tested

• Alarm Panels: All panels inspected and tested; power supply, lamps, displays, fuses, and surge protection were in good condition.

• Alarm Functions: Bells, horns, strobes, and evacuation signals actuated properly.

• Supervisory Functions: AC/secondary power loss, open/short circuits, ground faults, panel-to-panel integrity, and annunciators all passed.

• Auxiliary Functions: Elevator recall, HVAC shutdown, stair pressurization, and water/temperature monitoring all passed.

• Fire Pump & Generator Supervisory: All monitored conditions (power, running status, phase reversal, auto position, trouble signals) passed.

• Central Station Communication: Verified for alarm, trouble, and supervisory signals.

Device Counts & Status

• Smoke Detectors: 345 tested – all passed.

• Manual Pull Stations: 137 tested – all passed.

• Heat Detectors: 101 tested – all passed.

• Duct Detectors: 42 tested – all passed.

• Water Flow Switches: 122 tested – all passed.

• Valve Tamper Switches: 110 tested – all passed.

• HVAC Shutdown Devices: 44 tested – all passed.

• Speakers: 33 tested – all passed.

• Strobes: 1 tested – passed.

• Miscellaneous Devices: 76 tested – all passed.

• Phones/Warden Stations: 41 tested – all passed.

Total Devices Tested: 1,026 Deficiencies: 0 (No repairs, replacements, or failures reported)

Compliance

• Testing met Joint Commission and NFPA 72/25 standards for frequency and functionality.

• Smoke detector sensitivity tests were performed and all were within acceptable ranges.

Manhattan VA – Full Campus Annual Fire Alarm Inspection (October 17, 2025)

Overall Condition Excellent operational condition overall.

All 1,395 devices inspected passed, with zero deficiencies recorded across every building and device category.

High-Level Summary

• Total Devices Tested: 1,395

• Total Failures: 0

• Total Repaired/Serviced Items: 0

• Total Unable to Inspect: 0

System-Level Findings All major fire alarm system functions passed testing, including:

• Alarm bells, horns, strobes, and evacuation signaling

• Supervisory functions (AC loss, secondary power loss, open/short circuits, ground faults)

• Panel-to-panel communication

• Remote annunciators

• Elevator recall (primary and alternate floors)

• Stair pressurization

• HVAC shutdowns

• Fire pump supervisory monitoring

• Generator supervisory monitoring

Central Station test: Alarm, trouble, and supervisory signals were transmitted and verified successfully.

Device Category Summary Initiating Devices Device Type Tested Failures Result Smoke Detectors 543 0 All passed

Heat Detectors 105 0 All passed

Manual Pull Stations 182 0 All passed

Duct Detectors 111 0 All passed

Water Flow Switches 97 0 All passed

Valve Tamper Switches 36 0 All passed

Device Type Tested Failures Result Air Hi/Low Pressure Switches 4 0 All passed

Pressure Switches 2 0 All passed

Notification Appliances Device Type Tested Failures Result Speakers 226 0 All functional

Strobes 2 0 All functional

Miscellaneous Devices

• 12 miscellaneous fire alarm devices: All passed

• 6 fire phones/warden stations: All passed

Auxiliary Devices & Life Safety Systems HVAC Shutdown

• 62 devices tested, 0 failures

Elevator Recall

• 5 devices tested, 0 failures

Fire Pump & Generator Monitoring All supervisory points functioned correctly (power, running status, phase reversal, auto position).

Smoke Detector Sensitivity Testing All detectors tested were within required sensitivity ranges, and all passed the alarm-response test.

No units required cleaning or recalibration.

Key Takeaways

• Outstanding system performance: Zero deficiencies in a campus-wide inspection of nearly 1,400 devices.

• Full compliance with NFPA 72, NFPA 25, and Joint Commission EC.02.03.05 standards.

• All life-safety functions verified, including HVAC shutdowns, elevator recall, fire pump supervision, and generator supervisory circuits.

• Central station communication fully functional.

St. Albans (Queens) VA – Annual Fire Alarm Inspection (December 2025)

Overall Condition Strong device-level performance overall.

One major system-level deficiency impacting reliability:

• All fire alarm panels across the hospital are not communicating with one another, resulting in independent operation by building and no signals being transmitted to the central station.

Device Testing Summary Alarm-Initiating Devices

• Smoke Detectors: 299 tested, 0 failed.

• Manual Pull Stations: 142 tested, 0 failed.

• Heat Detectors: 47 tested, 0 failed.

• Miscellaneous initiating devices: 3 tested, 0 failed.

Notification Appliances

• Strobes: 84 tested, 0 failed.

• Horns: All tested units passed (exact count included within 84-item notification summary).

Auxiliary Systems HVAC Shutdown

• 31 devices tested – 0 failures.

Elevator Recall

• 31 devices tested – 0 failures.

System Power & Batteries

• Primary power, standby batteries, chargers, and system integrity checks all passed.

• All detectors listed in maintenance log were cleaned and passed sensitivity checks.

Total Devices Tested Across all categories:

637 devices tested — 0 device failures.

Summary Strengths:

• All field devices—smoke, heat, pull stations, strobes, horns—passed functional testing.

• HVAC shutdown, elevator recall, and special system interfaces are fully operational.

• All detectors cleaned and sensitivity-tested successfully.

Critical Deficiency:

• System-wide communication failure between fire alarm panels.

• No signals are reaching the central monitoring station.

• This represents a facility-wide life-safety impairment despite perfect device testing.

Conclusion The St. Albans VA fire alarm hardware (detectors, alarms, initiating devices) is fully operational and performing normally, with zero device-level deficiencies.

However, the system has a major network / communication failure affecting panel interconnection and monitoring, which must be addressed immediately to restore full NFPA and Joint Commission compliance.

System Power & Batteries