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Rogers Fire Protection Co.
ROGERS FIRE PROTECTION
No mystery · No surprises on the invoice

What Actually Happens During a Fire Inspection

Most building owners book an inspection knowing a van turns up and paperwork arrives later. Everything that goes wrong lives in the gap between those two things — so here is the whole of it, step by step, including the parts other contractors would rather you found out on the day.

  1. 1
    A few days before

    We confirm access, not just a date

    Most delays are not technical. They are a locked riser room, a gate code that changed, a tenant who was not told, or a key holder on holiday. We ask about all of that in advance and note it against your building so we are not asking again next year.

    Your part
    Tell us who holds keys to the riser room, the roof and any locked electrical rooms, and whether there are hours we should avoid.
  2. 2
    On the day, first fifteen minutes

    We find you before we find the equipment

    We check in with whoever is on site, confirm what we are testing, and agree what will make noise and when. Then we walk the building once before touching anything, so we know what is actually there rather than what the last report says is there.

    Worth knowing
    If we are testing an alarm, something will sound. We will agree a time and tell you before it does.
  3. 3
    Before any alarm testing

    The monitoring company gets put on test

    If your system is monitored, we ring the central station and place it on test so a signal does not dispatch the fire department. At the end we take it back off test and confirm signals are being received again.

    Worth knowing
    A system left on test is a system that is not calling anyone. Ask any contractor to confirm in writing that it was restored — we put it on the report.
  4. 4
    The bulk of the visit

    Device by device, and it is not a glance

    Every extinguisher gets its gauge, pin, seal, hose and dates checked, and the dates tell us whether a six-year service or a hydrostatic test is coming due. Sprinkler work means valves, gauges, the flow switch, the water supply and a look at heads and pipe condition. Alarm work means initiating devices, notification appliances, batteries and the panel. Each one is recorded as we go, not written up from memory afterwards.

    Your part
    Clear access where you can. An extinguisher behind a pallet is a finding we have to write up, and we would both rather it was not.
  5. 5
    Sprinkler and standpipe work

    Yes, there may be water

    Flow tests and drain tests put water somewhere. Outside, usually — but not always, and in a finished space that matters. We will tell you where it is going before we open anything.

    Worth knowing
    Annual inspections are not the same as the five-year internal pipe inspection or a standpipe hydrostatic test. Those are separate, on their own cycles, and are the things most often missed. Ask when yours are due.
  6. 6
    Before we leave

    You hear the findings from a person

    We walk through what we found before we go, in plain words, with photographs of anything that matters. Nothing should be a surprise when the report arrives. If something is genuinely unsafe we will say so on the spot rather than letting it wait for paperwork.

    Your part
    Ask what is urgent and what can wait. Both are legitimate answers and we will give you an honest split.
  7. 7
    Usually within a day or two

    The report, and what it has to contain

    A proper report says what was tested, what passed, what failed, what was photographed, who did it, when, and under what licence. Deficiencies each get a corrective action. If your authority needs a copy, we file it. You get the document whether or not there is any work to quote.

    Worth knowing
    A report that lists faults with no corrective action is half a report. So is one with no technician name or licence number on it.
  8. 8
    Afterwards

    Next year is already on a calendar

    Every interval your building is on — annual, quarterly, three-year, five-year — gets scheduled from the date we were there, not from the date somebody remembers. You are told before it is due rather than after.

    Your part
    Nothing. That is the point. If you are the one remembering when your five-year internal pipe inspection falls due, your contractor is not doing their half.

Common questions

How long does it take?
A small retail unit with a handful of extinguishers is under an hour. A warehouse with a sprinkler system, a standpipe and forty extinguishers is most of a day. We will give you a realistic figure when we book, and tell you if it turns out to be wrong.
Do we have to close or evacuate?
Almost never. Alarm testing makes noise and occasionally needs a short section cleared, and we schedule that around you. Nobody needs to leave the building for a routine inspection.
What if you find something wrong?
You hear it from us before we leave, with photographs. You get a written deficiency with a recommended fix. You are not obliged to have us do the repair, and we will tell you plainly whether something is urgent or whether it can sit until next year.
Will the fire department turn up?
Not if the monitoring company was placed on test first, which is the first thing we do. It is also the step most worth asking any contractor about.
Can we watch?
Please do. Facility managers who follow the walk once usually stop needing to, because they learn what their own building has.

Already have a report from someone else?

Upload it and we'll tell you what it covers, what it doesn't evidence, and what to ask about. Free, and we don't keep the file.

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