fire inspectors association of indiana

Folks, I'm glad I came across this. I have a manufacturing facility that I run into very often due to having the system trip because of leaks. The in-house maintenance staff has “always “ taken care of any leaks; the system resets etc. They do have a local contractor performing inspections.

I have questioned the “qualifications “ of the staff only to be met with it's our equipment, we are qualified to fix the issue. This will give me at least something else to dig into. 

Thanks be safe. 

Todd 

Look in definitions in the Indiana Fire Code, under Qualified Person.  Your maintenance person is more than likely not NICET certified nor has he received training from the manufacturer of the dry pipe valve nor has he received any sprinkler system training from Indiana Sprinkler Fitters Local 669. 

Depends how creative you want to get, you could cite the following as a chain of reasoning:

NFPA 25

3.3.19 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance Service. A service program provided by a qualified contractor or qualified property owner’s representative in which all components unique to the property’s systems are inspected and tested at the required times and necessary maintenance is provided. This program includes logging and retention of relevant records.

3.3.28 Qualified. QUALIFIED means a design professional or a person having successfully completed a course of instruction related to the equipment being installed, serviced, or repaired. Such instruction shall be provided by the manufacturer of the equipment or their authorized representative.

4.1.1.1.1* Inspection, testing, maintenance, and impairment shall be implemented in accordance with procedures meeting those established in this document and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

4.1.1.2 These tasks shall be performed by a qualified person.

4.1.4.1 The property owner or designated representative shall correct or repair deficiencies or impairments that are found during the inspection, test, and maintenance required by this standard.

4.1.4.2* Corrections and repairs shall be performed by qualified maintenance personnel or a qualified contractor.

4.5.4 During testing and maintenance, water supplies, including fire pumps, shall remain in service unless under constant attendance by qualified personnel or unless impairment procedures in Chapter 15 are followed.

4.7* Maintenance. Maintenance shall be performed to keep the system equipment operable or to make repairs.

4.3.1* Records shall be made for all inspections, tests, and maintenance of the system and its components and shall be made available to the authority having jurisdiction upon request.

4.3.2 Records shall indicate the procedure performed (e.g., inspection, test, or maintenance), the organization that per- formed the work, the results, and the date.