On any given project, each stakeholder has a different priority in mind. The owner may focus on rent and revenue. The architect may prioritize the quality and integrity of the design. The contractor may be thinking about the schedule, turnover, and avoiding liquidated damages. The fire protection expert focuses on fire and life safety as well as compliance.
When people think about a failed fire inspection, they often focus on the citation, reinspection fee, or possible fine. However, fees and citations are normally the smallest part of the problem.
A failed inspection could impact every project stakeholder’s objectives and profitability. A failed inspection could be the result of dire issues, such as an incomplete or impaired fire or life safety system, or something more easily resolved. Either way, all project disciplines must plan around helping that inspection pass.
A Friday Inspection I Still Remember
I have been lucky in my career and have not run into many major inspection failures. However, I have experienced a few stressful moments, including one experience from early on in my career that could have been avoided.
At the time, I was an operations manager working on the contracting side. Our company was responsible for the fire suppression design and installation for a high-end restaurant remodel. The overall construction schedule had become extremely compressed, and almost every contractor on the project was behind. The general contractor promised we all could complete too much work in too tight a timeline, so each discipline was unable to finish, coordinate, test, and inspect the work properly, leading to a failed final inspection.
The day before the restaurant’s opening, we were preparing for a final reinspection, so there was a lot on the line. Everyone was hoping the fire inspector would approve the remaining work. The opening was going to be an expensive, reputation-building event, where the mayor was expected to attend.
Everyone was worried about what would happen if the restaurant could not legally or safely open. The owner could lose an entire weekend of revenue. The event might need to be canceled, food and inventory could be wasted, and employees would still need to be paid. The restaurant’s first impression with customers and the community could be damaged before it even opened.
I was also concerned about our company’s reputation. Even though the schedule problem involved multiple trades, if the fire suppression system caused the final inspection to fail, that could easily become the one thing everyone remembered.
More importantly, people were preparing to enter and use the building. I needed to be confident that the fire suppression system was complete, functional, and ready to provide the protection it was designed to provide. Passing an inspection was important, but the real responsibility was making sure the building was safe.
Fortunately, I had a great team. Everyone went above and beyond, and we were able to support the project and pass reinspection. Looking back, however, most of that stress was unnecessary and avoidable. The issue was not an impossible technical problem; it was the result of an unrealistic schedule, late coordination, and leaving too much work until the final inspection.
The Impact Is Different for Everyone
For a building owner, a failed inspection can delay occupancy, rent, and revenue. Tenants may already have grand openings scheduled, customer events booked, inventory delivered, or employees ready to begin work. A delay can lead to lost income, tenant concessions, canceled events, and damaged relationships.
For architects and design teams, the concern is the integrity of the deliverable. When major fire and life safety issues are identified at the end of construction, the client may question the quality and coordination of the entire design. This can lead to redesign, additional services, professional liability concerns, and long-term damage to the firm’s reputation.
For contractors, a failed inspection can prevent substantial completion and turnover. The result may include liquidated damages, extended general conditions, overtime, expedited materials, subcontractor remobilization, and repeated testing or inspections. Those costs can grow quickly.
When the Building Is Not Fully Protected
A failed inspection may involve more than paperwork. It may mean that part of the building’s fire protection is not fully functional.
Common issues include
- Incomplete fire alarm testing
- Missing notification devices
- Closed sprinkler valves
- Impaired fire pumps
- Missing sprinkler coverage
- Blocked fire department connections
- Incomplete emergency responder radio coverage
- Unresolved egress conditions
- Deficiencies in fire-rated construction
Depending on the issue, the authority having jurisdiction may require a fire watch, restrict operations, suspend certain activities, or prevent occupancy. A fire watch may provide temporary monitoring, but it is not a replacement for a properly functioning fire protection system. The fire watch team can be very costly to the owner or end user—sometimes even more expensive than fixing or replacing fire and life safety systems.
The Real Cost
The fine may be the most visible cost, but it is rarely the most important. The real costs are the safety risks, delayed occupancy, lost revenue, damaged relationships, and the unnecessary stress placed on everyone involved.
When fire protection compliance is properly coordinated during design and construction, project teams can identify and address problems while there is still time and budget to fix them. That is why fire and life safety requirements need to be addressed early, coordinated throughout the project, and verified before the final inspection, not left until the last few days before opening.
