Safety, Documentation, and Records
The Safety, Documentation, and Records domain covers how the work is performed and how it is proven afterward. Items are often scenario based: something was changed, tested, or bypassed - what documentation and safety step is required?
Safety on fire alarm work
- Panel and power work: lockout/tagout, verification of de-energization, and arc-flash PPE per NFPA 70E.
- Battery work: acid-rated gloves and eye protection; remove watches and rings.
- Horn and voice testing in occupied spaces: hearing protection and occupant notification before sounding appliances.
- Impairments: notify the monitoring company and owner, provide a fire watch or approved mitigation, and document the impairment and restoration.
- Ladders, lifts, and ceiling access: fall protection and a second person where the task or the site requires it.
Documentation the code requires
- Record of Completion - the core document identifying the system, its devices, its sequence of operations, and the signatures of the installer and the AHJ representative.
- As-built drawings reflecting actual installed conditions, not the design drawings.
- Sequence of operations matrix for every input and output, including interfaces to elevators, doors, suppression, and HVAC.
- Site-specific software documentation and a copy of the program, so the system can be restored after a failure.
- Battery and voltage-drop calculations, acceptance test records, and ITM reports.
- Records retained and available to the AHJ; reports note deficiencies and their correction.
Worked example
Five addressable detectors and one relay controlling door hold-opens are added to an existing system. What is required? Reasoning: the change alters the sequence of operations, so it triggers reacceptance testing. The affected devices, the new relay, the door-release interface, and the panel programming all need to be tested. Update the as-built drawings, the record of completion, and the sequence matrix; provide the revised site-specific software copy; notify the AHJ and the monitoring company before the test; and record the results. Adding devices without updating documentation is the classic failure.
Traps that cost marks
- Changing programming with no software documentation or backup.
- Leaving the record of completion at the original installation state after a modification.
- Testing without notifying the AHJ, owner, or monitoring company.
- Restoring a system without verifying it and documenting the restoration.
- Skipping arc-flash PPE because the panel is low voltage.