The National Building Code of Canada, the Fire Code and the Ontario Building Code require this “Integrated Systems Testing of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems” in accordance to the CAN/ULC-S-1001-11 standard. This law applies to new construction, or any major changes to fire protection and life safety systems, or integrated system retrofit for a building. In addition to new construction (year 0 testing), this test is required on year 1 and year 5, and every 5 years afterwards.
You may wonder why this new integrated testing since you already have fire alarm certification, emergency power generator tests and sprinkler inspections. All these separate sub-systems certifications are indeed still required, however there has not been any test to ensure the whole system operates flawlessly from A to Z. Does the motorized damper open when the pressurization fan is commanded by the fire alarm panel when there is a power outage? This integrated test is to set a higher level of confidence that the various sub-systems operate holistically as intended and as designed.
We as your Integrated Test Coordinator (ITC) will create a test plan specific to the building. We coordinate the test and work with the contractors to execute the test plan. Any findings, recommendations, or the successfully completed results will be documented in the final report.
