Inspections
These types of inspections take place within the Fire Prevention Bureau:
- Annual Safety
- Commercial kitchen cooking suppression systems
- Fire alarm systems (acceptance)
- Sprinkler systems (hydrostatic)
- Final/Safety (prior to opening for business)
- Underground fire service flush
Please refer to the Plan Review/Inspection Fee section for fees associated with these inspections. New development shall expect to have a minimum of three visits by the Bureau – sprinkler hydrostatic test, fire alarm acceptance test, and final/safety inspection – prior to opening their doors for business.
Annual Safety Inspection
Existing businesses are subject to and shall expect annual safety inspections. Where practical and possible, these inspections shall be at a time that is not inconvenient for the business owner or the business being run.
Commercial Kitchen Cooking Suppression Systems
Initial commercial kitchen cooking suppression system inspections shall take place with the installing contractor and the fire alarm contractor. The fire code official shall witness the acceptance test, ensuring that the system operates as per designed and reviewed, including: placement of a K-class extinguisher; location of manual pull-station; existence of a certification tag; and activation of the fire alarm system.
Commercial cooking suppression systems shall be inspected and certified as per IFC 2003.
Fire Alarm Systems
Fire alarm acceptance tests shall only be scheduled following the review and approval of an appropriate fire alarm plan and after the fire alarm contractor has already successfully conducted their own final acceptance test and record of completion. The fire code official shall witness the acceptance test and approve it based on the installation being as per the approved plan. A few of the specific items that shall be in place include:
- Existence of red exterior strobes outside locations with FACP/FAAP
- Red exterior strobe activating on all fire alarm initiations
- Water flow alarm being non-silenceable
- Clear exterior strobes outside entrance/exit points as per approved plan
- Unless it’s a waterflow condition, clear exterior strobes activating upon an alarm condition within that tenant space only
- On a waterflow condition, all clear exterior strobes activating
- Supervisory and trouble alarms being non-latching
- Monitoring company only calling dispatch on full fire alarms – trouble and supervisory alarms shall initiate a call to the owners 24 hour call list
- Signals for multi-tenant systems shall monitor & transmit "point-to-point" allowing for "tenant/device in alarm" dispatching
- Exterior/interior water bells activating and deactivating upon water flow conditions
The fire alarm contractor and/or monitoring company shall contact the Kendall County Dispatch Center to obtain the needed information for initiating a dispatch call for the Oswego Fire Protection District.
Sprinkler Systems – Hydrostatic Test
Sprinkler system hydrostatic tests shall only be scheduled following the review and approval of an appropriate sprinkler plan and after the sprinkler contractor has already successfully conducted their own acceptance test. Unless other arrangements have been previously and specifically made with the Fire Marshal, sprinkler system hydrostatic tests shall take place prior to ceilings and/or ceiling tiles being placed. All sprinkler system piping shall be readily and clearly visible and accessible to the fire code official witnessing the hydrostatic test.
In cases of a dry system, subsequent to the hydrostatic test, and after the fire alarm system is in place, the sprinkler contractor is expected to execute a successful “trip test” of the dry system. This acceptance test shall also be witnessed by the fire department.
Final/Safety Inspection
The final/safety inspection is a wrap-up “turn-key” inspection that shall be scheduled prior to opening for business but after being fully stocked and/or set-up. A good measuring stone should be, if you would not open your doors to customers, then you likely aren’t ready for the final/safety inspection.
At this point, all fire alarm, kitchen cooking hood, and sprinkler system problems shall be satisfactorily resolved. This inspection is a general safety inspection that incorporates mostly good and safe housekeeping practices as well as ensuring that properly labeled keys are prepared and placed in the knox box, that exterior sprinkler/fire alarm door rooms are labeled, that certified fire extinguishers are located appropriately throughout the facility, and that all items noted in previous visits have been adequately and satisfactorily resolved.
Upon receiving a successful final/safety inspection, the local building department will be notified that with respect to the fire department, there are no open issues that should preclude the occupancy from being open for business.
Underground Fire Service Flush
These shall be scheduled with the local public works department, who shall in turn make arrangements for the fire department to be onsite to witness the test.
Version 2.1 07-28-2010
