Complaince & Reporting Explained

Compliance is a broad term for fire and life safety refers to the adherence to regulations, standards, and practices aimed at ensuring the safety of individuals and property in the event of a fire or other emergencies. This concept is particularly relevant in various settings, such as commercial and residential buildings, workplaces, public schools, medical facilities, and industrial facilities.

This involves following local, regional, and national building codes, national fire codes, and regulations that outline specific requirements for the construction, design, and maintenance of fire safety systems.

Regular inspections of the fire safety equipment and systems are necessary to ensure they are in working order. Compliance requires a commitment to ongoing maintenance and prompt resolution of any issues identified during inspections. Some jurisdictions have different inspection schedules, the most common being monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Some systems require specific testing every 3, 5, or 6 years.

During a fire and life safety inspection, licensed inspectors will find what we call “deficiencies” as outlined within the National Fire Protection Association or NFPA’s standards, or code books. These deficiencies are tracked on the inspection report and then are reported for compliance with fire departments and other authorities having jurisdiction.

Different deficiencies have varying critical levels, such as non-critical, critical, or inoperable. Inoperable deficiencies mean that there is a severe violation to the fire protection system which means it is not in operational status and will not activate or function properly in a fire event. Inoperable deficiencies have to be reported to the AHJs and fire departments within 24 hours, and the site has to be informed to maintain or perform a fire watch of the site.

The fire departments and AHJs will review the inspection reports, and if they concur the deficiencies are valid, they will populate a letter called a “Notice to Comply” for the property address and customer. This notice will give the customer or location a set amount of time to fix the deficiency - either 30 days or sometimes as little as 2 weeks depending on the severity of the deficiency reported.

Effective October 4, 2024, Denver Fire Protection will only designate deficiencies as compliant, within the requirements of the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), if those deficiencies have been repaired and remedied by certified fitters and licensed technicians employed by Denver Fire Protection LLC.

If a deficiency is repaired by a contractor or individual who is not a licensed fire suppression professional, Denver Fire Protection will not mark that deficiency as compliant with the AHJ. In such cases, the location and customer assume full responsibility and liability for ensuring the deficiency is remedied and marked compliant through other means.

This policy extends to all relevant software platforms used by local fire departments and AHJs, including, but not limited to, Brycer's Compliance Engine and Inspection Reporting Online (IROL).