KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ
ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE
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more on Testing water flow as part of your fire alarm inspection
September 14, 2026
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more on Testing water flow as part of your fire alarm inspection from article on September 1, 2026
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Ken,
A little bit of common sense should prevail here. If an alarm technician is smart enough to test and inspect fire alarm systems he/she ought to be able to figure out how to reasonably verify the fire alarm is capable of correctly responding to any off-normal condition WITHOUT moving any valves or water.
Ideally, fire alarm and sprinkler vendors should coordinate their testing to be done at the same time, but we all know that can be like herding cats. Because sprinkler monitoring devices can fail, it should be the sprinkler contractor’s responsibility to create conditions during their inspection that closely simulate actual off-normal conditions. Depending on the complexity of the fire alarm system a fire alarm tech may or may not be necessary to be present during the sprinkler/fire suppression test. But fire suppression systems may be more complex than alarm techs understand, and a wrong move may prove to be disastrous and costly. Some fire suppression systems that use a fire alarm system to activate suppression system mechanical functions may absolutely require two vendors to be present for testing and inspection. Sprinkler monitoring devices may be a “grey area” as to who is responsible for replacing a failed device. Most often, the sprinkler contractor should be the one to replace and test the failed device, as critical adjustments are often necessary; but the alarm service vendor may need to verify the connections made are correct and produce the desired alarm system response. In some jurisdictions a sprinkler contractor may not be legally allowed to touch the electrical connections, so vendor coordination may be absolutely necessary. Everyone should “stay in their wheelhouse”. Service contracts should plainly spell out what will and what will not be tested by each service vendor.
Andy Wilson
Fireworks, LLC (put out to pasture)
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another comment
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Ken
NFPA-72 2016 edition section 14.4.3.2 (K) TESTING states the following:
"WATER SHALL BE FLOWED THROUGH AN INSPECTOR'S TEST CONNECTION INDICATINGT THE FLOW OF WATER...for wet pipe systems"
Ted Leventhal should have check this out for clarification
thanks
Warren Davis, President
D & W Central Station Fire Alarm Co.
Long Island City, NY 11101
Phone: 718-729-6200
www.dandwfirealarm.com
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another comment
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Ken,
Every training class I have ever been in has taught us that we are NOT to flow water to test the fire alarm monitoring of the flow valve. The liability of a leak happening would be all on us then. We simply do a manual water flow valve trip, pulling down the plunger of the flow valve to make the relay trigger once the retard has expired. This simulates what the flapper inside the pipe will do when water is flowing. It also verifies that our connection is good and the alarm gets tripped.
Best Regards,
Isaac Hayden, President
Dynamic Security Professionals, Inc
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another comment
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Ken
The discussion of whether or not the alarm company should test the sprinkler by flow of water has been debated argued and settled many times. The bottom line is that the alarm company is a licensed electrician and not a plumber and for the same reason that homeowners are not allowed to test electrical circuits that involve opening circuits because if there is a problem the homeowner is not prepared to mitigate the issue if a problem arises when you flow water
You are not licensed to mitigate that problem and now have to call in the sprinkler contractor and you have the liability of having put the sprinkler system out of business for a period of time
In Connecticut an alarm company is not licensed to turn any valves or to flow water.
NFPA requires that a sprinkler system be tested by flow of water 4 times per year. Those 4 times of testing the sprinkler system the sprinkler testing company should be triggering an actual alarm which can be recorded as part of the testing procedure/
I will get off my soapbox now; thank you for listening to my years as an ESA certified instructor although long since retired, I still teach in and for the state of Connecticut
Joel P Kent
FBN Security LLC
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Response
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If Warren and Joel are correct, as I assume they are, water must flow to complete the test. If that's the case we are back where we started, who turns the valve to let the water flow? I think the general consensus is that it should not be the alarm tech; it should be the Fire Protection Company; the sprinkler company.
Sure coordination between companies may be a pain in butt, but not as time consuming as getting involved in a law suit for water damage or failure to have water if there is fire.
Regarding Joel's comments:
Alarm companies are not plumbers; that much is clear. But they are also not electricians and they cannot perform electrical work. Here is why there may be some confusion regarding electrical work by an alarm company:
A licensed alarm company in Connecticut does not automatically qualify as a licensed electrician. Connecticut treats these as separate credentials.
Alarm/security work: A company or person may be licensed or registered for alarm work, but that does not automatically authorize general electrical work.|
Electrical work: Connecticut requires an appropriate Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) electrical license. DCP specifically says electrical licenses are issued to individuals, not electrical companies.
For alarm systems, Connecticut has specific limited electrical licenses. For example, an L-5 Electrical Limited Contractor can perform low-voltage alarm/signal work, subject to its scope and voltage limitations. A C-5 also covers certain low-voltage/alarm work.
I am not aware of any state alarm license that also covers electrical work; low voltage, yes, but not 110V. And no plumbing work. Stay in your lane.
The Fire All in One, which is the proper contract suitable for fire alarm inspection, and that includes the water flow detection device, provides protection even for your negligence. But it won't help with gross negligence, and at this point I wonder if an alarm tech messing with a water valve could be considered.
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Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Attorneys at Law
200 Garden City Plaza
Garden City, NY 11530
516 747 6700 x 301
ken@kirschenbaumesq.com
www.KirschenbaumEsq.com
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