Fire safety systems play a significant role in everyday life. Even though they’re often out of sight, they should never be out of mind. And like other pieces of technical equipment, regular maintenance is necessary to make sure they work when it matters most. Failing to maintain them can lead to severe consequences. This article will explore what those exactly are and what can be done to prevent them from happening.
Components of a Successful Fire Safety Strategy
Before discussing the necessity of maintaining fire safety systems, it’s essential to understand your overall protection strategy and how each system works in conjunction with the others. This is often referred to as layered fire protection. When one form fails, another takes its place to mitigate the risks. This ensures that each layer has backup to relieve any potential hiccups and prevent a single point of failure.
For example, once a detector senses smoke, it can trigger the alarm system, telling everyone inside to leave the building. At the same time, rising temperatures will activate the sprinkler system, allowing it to suppress the flames until first responders arrive. Combining all of this with strategically placed fire extinguishers throughout the building ensures that threats are detected early, occupants are notified quickly, and fire suppression measures are deployed as intended.
In addition to Active Fire Protection (AFP) systems, many structures often have multiple forms of Passive Fire Protection (PFP), such as intumescent coatings, firewalls, flame retardants, and fire doors. Since the majority of AFP systems require power to operate, it’s generally recommended to integrate them with various forms of PFP for layered protection. More information on the different forms of protection is available here.
Importance of Regular Maintenance
All of these forms of fire protection are effective but still have failure risks. That’s where proper maintenance comes into play. Fortunately, maintaining fire protection systems doesn’t have to be a guessing game. There’s reliable guidance available for:
- Sprinkler Systems: Quarterly mechanical and alarm device checks, as well as annual main drain, water flow, and fire pump tests
- Fire Alarm and Detection Systems: Monthly visual inspections of the control panel and battery tests, as well as annual initiating device and alarm sounder tests.
- Portable Fire Extinguishers: Monthly visual check and annual inspection of the extinguisher’s pressure gauge, hose, seal, and overall physical condition.
- Smoke Detectors: Annually clean the sensors, check the batteries, and test the system interface if it’s connected to a larger fire alarm system.
Although AFP systems require more in-depth maintenance, it is also important not to overlook your PFP systems. While they don’t require activation or movement, they still need to be visually inspected regularly to identify any repair needs. Following these standards may seem like an inconvenience, but routine inspections serve a great significance. They can bring issues to light that would otherwise go unnoticed, such as blocked sprinkler heads, depleted fire extinguishers, faulty wiring, or expired batteries. On a positive note, these standards help preserve warranties and maximize lifespan. But most importantly, they ensure performance when protecting life and property in emergencies.
Costs of Ignoring Maintenance
Compliance with Fire and Life Safety regulations is the law, not just a simple recommendation. Federal, state, and local codes require building owners and facility managers to install and maintain fire protection systems properly. The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) can conduct audits of properties for compliance. When an issue is noticed, the AHJ writes a Notice of Violation (NOV). If it’s not resolved within an agreed-upon timeframe, the building owner may face fines or become entangled in court proceedings. This can also lead to higher insurance premiums if the provider catches wind of the incident. And if a fire occurs on top of them, the provider may even deny the claim altogether since the damage was preventable.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop building owners and facility managers from neglecting their Fire and Life Safety duties. In 2024, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) revealed that fire departments were dispatched to 1.39 million fires within the United States in 2013, accounting for $23 billion in property damage. This is in addition to the 3,670 civilian deaths and 13,350 injuries. There’s no official number, but it’s fair to wonder how many of them could’ve been prevented by simply keeping the fire protection systems up to code. And, regardless, these statistics in themselves are excellent reasons why fire protection should be prioritized in every structure.
The cost of putting fire safety on the back burner can do much more harm to your business than the loss of life and property. It can also harm your reputation. When customers, tenants, stakeholders, and others discover that safety systems have been ignored, their trust level will be lowered. People want to feel safe wherever they go, and failing to uphold this foremost responsibility will undoubtedly be a red flag for many. Once that trust is lost, rebuilding it may be challenging and even lead to a decline in revenue. This can be amplified even more if the incident makes headlines. Negative publicity can do this faster, tarnishing your brand in the process. The public perception of your company or property can suffer for years, affecting your ability to attract new clients, retain existing ones, and even secure insurance or financing. The life, property, and financial loss in these situations is definitely not worth the inconvenience and cost of hiring a professional for regular maintenance. If you want to learn more about liability in Fire and Life Safety, visit this link.
Real-World Examples
The consequences have been seen in the United States on multiple occasions for those who don’t take Fire and Life Safety seriously. A notable example of this is the 1980 MGM Grand Hotel Fire in Las Vegas. The tragedy claimed 85 lives and injured about 600 others. The investigation report details that the fire alarm system didn’t activate. Additionally, there were blocked exits and inadequate smoke control measures. It’s argued that regular maintenance and safety code compliance could’ve prevented casualties and property loss.
Another prime example is the Station Nightclub Fire in 2003. The incident in West Warwick, RI, occurred when pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing foam. Despite code requirements, the Building Safety Journal claims they were grandfathered as an exception to laws requiring a working sprinkler system. Because of this, the fire claimed 100 lives and injured over 200 people. Investigators concluded that better-marked egress and a proper suppression system could’ve reduced the loss of life.
As recently as July 2025, another incident occurred. There was a fire at the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River, MA, which took the lives of 10 residents due to a sprinkler system failing to activate. Firehouse reported that five days before the fire, a contractor notified the building owner that the sprinkler system had not received the state-mandated five-year inspection. Lawsuits claim that a combination of recalled components and lack of maintenance contributed to the incident.
Conclusion
Fire and Life Safety should mean more than a box for building owners and facility managers to check. It’s an investment in keeping structures and everything within them safe, and failing to prioritize this results in a loss of dollars, lives, and reputations. Making regular maintenance non-negotiable can provide peace of mind knowing that everything will perform properly if needed. It’s not wise to wait for a tragedy to happen to care about protecting lives and property. Instead, make a conscious decision to stay compliant and create an environment where safety is always the top priority.
Image via Shutterstock.
