If a fire protection system is out of service for more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period, which actions should be arranged?

If a fire protection system is out of service for more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period, which actions should be arranged?

• A. Evacuation only
• B. Fire watch only
• C. Evacuation, fire watch, temporary water supply, or an approved program to limit ignition sources
• D. No action needed

Answer: (C)

When a fire protection system is out of service for an extended period, the risk grows because automatic detection, alarms, and suppression are not available. To maintain safety, compensatory measures must be arranged for outages longer than 10 hours in a 24-hour period. The best answer reflects the range of actions that can be put in place to protect occupants and property while the system is down. Evacuation helps keep people away from potential fires, a fire watch provides continuous observation and rapid reporting if a fire starts, a temporary water supply ensures there is water to support any needed suppression, and an approved program to limit ignition sources reduces the chance of a fire starting in the absence of automatic protection. Taken together, these options cover detection, warning, suppression readiness, and ignition control during the outage. The other choices don’t address all these critical elements, leaving gaps in protection.

When a fire protection system is out of service for an extended period, the risk grows because automatic detection, alarms, and suppression are not available. To maintain safety, compensatory measures must be arranged for outages longer than 10 hours in a 24-hour period. The best answer reflects the range of actions that can be put in place to protect occupants and property while the system is down. Evacuation helps keep people away from potential fires, a fire watch provides continuous observation and rapid reporting if a fire starts, a temporary water supply ensures there is water to support any needed suppression, and an approved program to limit ignition sources reduces the chance of a fire starting in the absence of automatic protection. Taken together, these options cover detection, warning, suppression readiness, and ignition control during the outage. The other choices don’t address all these critical elements, leaving gaps in protection.