Third Party Fire Protection Plan Review Questions

Will FSCI inspect my project?
Depending on our agreement with the municipality or fire district, FSCI not only provides the plan review of a project, but may also provide the inspections associated with each fire protection system as well.

Whether or not FSCI should perform the inspections for your project, can be found on our plan review letter; either in the upper, left-hand-side or in newer versions of our letter, in the very first table.

How far in advance do I need to schedule my inspection?
FSCI recommends a minimum of 72 hours in advance. Inspection dates and times are subject to availability.

When can I schedule an inspection?
Once the plan review approval process has been completed and the installation is ready to be inspected the contractor can call for an inspection.

How do I schedule an inspection?
Please refer to the plan review letter under the header for Testing & Inspection Comments for instructions on who to call to set up the inspection. In some cases, contractors are permitted by the municipality to contact our office directly, in other cases the municipality calls to set up the inspection.

When contacting our office to schedule a date and time for your inspection, you must provide our coordinator with the following information:

Project Information:

  • Plan Review number
  • Project name and address
  • Number of devices/sprinklers/nozzles etc.
  • Specific scope of work to be inspected
  • Type of inspection needed

Contractor Information:

  • Contact information of who called in the inspection request
  • Contact information of who will be present and on site
  • Email address to send a copy of the inspection report

 What is required from the contractor for FSCI to perform an on-site inspection?
Once the plan review process is approved and complete:

  • Minimum of 72-hour notice, when scheduling an inspection. Inspection dates and times are subject to availability.
  • FSCI approved / stamped drawings, must be on site for all inspections.
  • A knowledgeable & experienced representative from the installing contracting company must be present and on site.
  • All necessary testing equipment must be provided (depending on the type of inspection); i.e. 100W light bulb, balloons, canned smoke, lifts, ladders, etc.
  • All cancellations must be done at least 24 hours prior to scheduled inspection. If an inspection is cancelled within the 24-hour window, one of the four inspections, included in the original fee, will be utilized.

Are there any additional fees associated with FSCI inspections?
If FSCI has been contracted by the municipality or fire district, our inspection fees, which include up to four FSCI inspections, have already been collected with the plan review fee. If you exceed the four inspection limit, there will be a fee associated with each additional inspection needed; $110 / hour with a $165 minimum.

Our normal business hours are 8AM – 5PM. Inspections before or after normal business hours can sometimes be accommodated with sufficient advance notice. Additional fees may apply.

If an inspection is cancelled within the 24-hour window, one of the four inspections, included in the original fee, will be utilized.

Do I need to contact the municipality or fire district, to let them know of my scheduled inspection, with FSCI?
Unless otherwise directed to do so, the answer is no. When an inspection is scheduled with our office and an invite is created, FSCI will include all appropriate representatives in the calendar invite, at the specific request of the municipality or fire district.

When do I receive my inspection report?
Each FSCI inspector will generate a report for every inspection scheduled with our office.  These are generally distributed within 24 hours of the inspection time. FSCI will send a copy of the report to the email address provided to us by the contractor, as well as all appropriate representatives, per the municipality or fire district.

How do I know the status of my inspection?
There are three possible results for every inspection conducted with FSCI.  They are: RECOMMEND APPROVAL, APPROVED WITH CORRECTIONS & NOT APPROVED.

There are also sections for the INSPECTION COMMENTS, which will consist of all comments pertaining to what the inspector inspected; as well as ITEMS TO BE CORRECTED, which will consist of all changes that need to be made in order for FSCI to RECOMMEND APPROVAL.

Once all of the outstanding items have been addressed, the inspection will have passed and FSCI will indicate RECOMMEND APPROVAL.

Each FSCI inspector will generate a report for every inspection scheduled with our office.  These are generally distributed within 24 hours of the inspection time. FSCI will send a copy of the report to the email address provided to us by the contractor, as well as all appropriate representatives, per the municipality or fire district.

As an installing sprinkler contractor, when do I need to perform a 200-psi hydrostatic pressure test of sprinkler piping?
All new systems need to be hydrostatically tested at 200 psi for 2 hours without any loss of pressure. Systems with working pressures over 150 psi must be tested at 50 psi over the working pressure. In addition, modifications to existing systems must be isolated and tested at 200 psi for 2 hours. Where permitted by NFPA 13, testing at working pressure shall be permitted.