What Annual Testing Includes – and Why It’s Not Just Ticking a Code Checkbox
NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, requires that all fire alarm systems be tested annually. Yet many property owners and facility managers don’t bother. They figure, “That’s just a suggestion. It’s not really necessary,” or that it’s all simply bureaucracy.
But there are very real, life-saving reasons to have your fire alarm system tested annually. Let’s examine what actually happens during an inspection, and how code compliance can prevent tragedy and property loss.
Why Annual Inspections Exist
The NFPA 72 doesn’t mandate annual alarm inspections for bureaucracy’s sake. Annual testing verifies the real-world readiness of your alarm system and that the technology is fully functional while lives depend on it.
Systems quietly degrade over time, and changes to your property (like additions or renovations) may leave your system improperly labeled. Annual inspections catch these inaccuracies and failures before it’s too late.
What Happens During an Inspection?
Here’s what you can expect from your next fire alarm testing and inspection.
- Testing: Every device in your fire alarm system is tested for proper operation.
- Documentation: We compile a Deficiency List to document any issues found during inspection.
- Labeling: We check for improper or missing device labeling, which is a major recurring issue. Each initiating device should clearly indicate its physical location (e.g., “Room 602”) so when the panel displays an alarm, responders know exactly where to go.
Labels often drift out of sync due to remodels or renumbering. When responders can’t match panel readouts to physical locations, they lose precious minutes during an emergency.
- Documentation: Once we’ve completed the inspection, documentation is uploaded to your city, county, or state AHJ or compliance engine.
We can’t emphasize enough the importance of properly labelling your fire alarm panel. Emergency responders can’t effectively locate a fire without knowing where the alarms were initially triggered. We’d argue that accurate labeling is as critical to life safety as the electronics themselves, and annual inspections are the only consistent checkpoint for ensuring those labels stay correct.
Cost & Frequency
How often should you have your system inspection – and how much will it cost?
At Sciens, we recommend conducting a partial system inspection annually and a full system test every five years. Inspection rates are typically 5-10 percent of your system’s total installation cost.
Common Misconceptions & Risks
We’ve heard it all: countless excuses why a property doesn’t need its alarm system inspected. If you catch yourself assuming the following, we urge you to reconsider.
“We passed last year. We’re fine.”
Testing is required annually. Skipping inspections is a legal risk that can lead to potential tragedy.
“Sprinklers cover it.”
Alarm and suppression systems are separate safeguards and serve different purposes.
“It hasn’t gone off in years, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
False. Most failures are discovered only during testing.
“Our building isn’t big enough to require testing.”
NFPA 72 applies to all permitted commercial structures, regardless of their size.
If We Can’t Convince You to Get Your Alarms Tested…
A third-party compliance system could be coming to your area soon.
Many cities across the country now rely on digital compliance systems, like Brycer, to manage inspection enforcement. These engines scrape property data and track inspection uploads to automatically flag missing reports to AHJs.
While in the past, many businesses could sneak by without staying up to code, these compliance engines are cracking down on properties missing inspection reports. If a fire were to occur on your property, you could run into insurance disputes once it’s revealed that your building wasn’t code-compliant.
The Sciens’ Approach
Sciens is a national fire safety provider with locations in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. We help our clients stay code-compliant and protected through a transparent, ethical, and education-first approach to fire and life safety.
We never oversell our clients, and we aim to be your long-term safety partner that you can depend on. Don’t have time to keep track of inspection schedules yourself? We’ve got you covered.
Contact Sciens to schedule your fire alarm inspection today. Worried that you’re far overdue for an inspection? We never judge. Trust us, we’ve seen it all. The most important thing is to get your system inspected soon.
