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Fire Damper and Fire Door Commissioning
What is Commissioning
The Building Commissioning Association (BCA), an association focused on building commissioning defines commissioning as:
“The basic purpose of building commissioning is to provide a quality-based process with documented confirmation that building systems are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated and maintained in compliance with the owner’s project requirements. Commissioning of existing systems may require the development of new functional criteria in order to address the owner’s current systems performance requirements.”
The American Society of Healthcare Engineering in their publication “Health Facility Commissioning Guidelines” states:
“The word “commissioning” means a process intended to ensure that building systems are installed and perform in accordance with the design intent, that the design intent is consistent with the owner’s project requirements, and that operations and maintenance staff are adequately prepared to operate and maintain the completed facility. “
The commissioning process does not end after a building is transferred to an owner; there is a process known as Integrated Testing or retrocommissioning. This process, outlined in The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) new Recommended Practice, NFPA 3, is defined as “performance verification of the interaction and coordination of multiple and separate fire and life safety systems.” NFPA 3 suggest that interconnected life safety systems (active and passive fire protection systems) shall be tested after the initial commissioning process to ensure the fire safety system remains operational and works in concert in the event of a fire.
Why is Commissioning so Important?
A building owner must have the confidence prior to accepting ownership of a building that the fire and life safety systems were installed and are operating per the design – the protection of the occupants of the building is too crucial not to perform the due diligence of commissioning.
Retrocommissioning is equally as essential as the initial commissioning process. Why? As all facility managers know, buildings undergo significant changes throughout the years and modifications and alterations to the original design of the life safety system are possible. It is essential that the fire and life safety system is commissioned again to ensure that the system is as effective five, ten, fifteen years from the day the building owner accepted the initial commissioning report.
Why Choose LSS Life Safety Services®?
In a process as important as commissioning it is vital that a specialist is employed. LSS has worked for contractors as a specialist to perform commissioning services on items such as fire damper installation in new construction projects. The complexities of fire safety systems lends itself to Commissioning Agents to compile a team of experts in each discipline – for LSS that is NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 to focus on fire damper certification and fire door certification.
What will LSS Life Safety Services® Provide our Client?
Whether LSS Life Safety Services® is working on a new construction project or on a retrocommissioning project for an existing facility for a General Contractor, a mechanical engineer, a bonding company, fire protection engineer, or commissioning agent LSS Life Safety Services® will work as a partner in the commissioning process.
LSS Life Safety Services® Fire Damper Certification Commissioning Report will include:
- Detailed Inventory of the location of every fire and smoke damper;
- Damper Functional Checklist that will include but not limited to;
- Damper Model Number;
- Damper Size and Type;
- Type of Barrier Damper is located;
- Details regarding Breakaway points, Damper Angles, and Damper Sleeve;
- Fusible Link Details;
- Details as the relate to actuators per specifications for Smoke Dampers and Combination Dampers;
- Other details specific to the project;
- Operational Details for every damper;
- A digital picture of every damper “Open” and “Closed” to demonstrate damper’s operation and/or to show any deficiencies.
LSS Life Safety Services® Fire Door Certification Commissioning Report will include:
- Detailed Inventory of the location, rating, handing of every fire and smoke door;
- Door Functional Checklist that will include but not limited to;
- Details Regarding the specifications and installation as they relate to:
- Frame, Door, Hinges/Pivots, Door Bolts, Locks, Door Closers, Panic Hardware, Astragals, and numerous other components;
- Details Regarding the specifications and installation as they relate to:
- Digital picture of deficiencies discovered during the commissioning process.
For further information about partnering with LSS Life Safety Services® on your next commissioning or integrated testing project contact us today.