Documentation and Reporting: Records That Prove the Work
This domain tests the paperwork that makes a fire alarm system legally and technically defensible: design documents, completion records, test records, and modification documentation.
Design and installation documents
- Floor plans showing device locations, the riser diagram, and the device address schedule.
- Sequence of operations matrix describing what each input causes.
- Battery calculation and notification appliance voltage-drop calculations.
- Manufacturer's installation instructions and the owner's manual.
Completion and test records
- The Record of Completion documents that the system is installed per the design and the code, signed after successful final acceptance.
- The Record of Inspection and Testing captures device-by-device results, test method, and deficiencies.
- Preliminary and final acceptance tests are conducted with AHJ notification, and the results are recorded.
- Records are retained and made available to the AHJ on request.
Modifications
Any change to device counts, circuit loading, or sequence of operations requires updated drawings, an updated battery calculation, reacceptance testing, and a revised completion record.
Worked example
A tenant fit-out adds 12 devices to an existing addressable system. Required documentation: revised floor plans and riser, updated address schedule and sequence matrix, a new battery calculation reflecting the added standby and alarm load, reacceptance test records for the affected devices plus verification of the rest of the system, an updated Record of Completion, notification to the AHJ, and revised as-built drawings. Reasoning: added devices change both the documentation set and the calculated loads, so neither can be skipped.
Traps that cost marks
- Signing a Record of Completion before final acceptance is finished.
- Adding devices without redoing the battery and voltage-drop calculations.
- Failing to document impairments and the interim measures taken.
- Leaving as-built drawings inconsistent with the installed addresses.