FIRE PUMPS

Standard N.F.P.A 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire
Protection
- NFPA 25: Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of
Water-Based Fire Protection Systems
Purpose The reason for installing a fire pump:

The public water supply cannot provide enough volume and/or pressure.
The original use of the building has changed and fire risk has increased, requiring a
higher delivered density from sprinkler heads.
The volume/pressure of the public water supply has been degraded by the demands of
development.

Traditionally, two of the most popular types of fire pumps in use have been:

Horizontal Split-Case Centrifugal Fire Pumps

Vertical Shaft, Turbine Type Centrifugal Fire Pumps

A typical fire pump installation includes several components. All Factory Mutual Research Approval
standards require the pump manufacturer to use approved components in the installation. These components
may include:
Fire pump designed to handle the type of water supply available
Pump driver, which can be an electric motor or diesel engine
Controller for the automatic operation of the pump driver
Gear drive for transmitting power from the pump driver to the pump
Water relief valve to relieve or limit excess pressure in the event of diesel engine over speed
Storage tank (pump suction tank), which provides adequate water volumes when municipal water
supplies are not sufficient in volume and/or pressure (fire pumps may also draw from natural or manmade ponds or streams).

The following is a summary of the recommended inspections, tests and maintenance as per NFPA 25:

Inspection, Testing and Maintenance

Item

Activity

Frequency

Pump House, Heating

Inspection

Weekly

Ventilating Louvers

Inspection

Weekly

Fire Pump System

Inspection

Weekly

Pump Churn Test

Test

Weekly

Pump Flow Test

Test

Annually

Mechanical Transmission

Maintenance

Annually

Electrical System

Maintenance

Varies

Controller Components

Maintenance

Varies

Motor

Maintenance

Annually

Diesel Engine System

Maintenance

Varies

Flowmeters
Flowmeters are used in many installations as a convenient means of measuring flow. These devices
provide accurate, reliable flow data.

Alarms
NFPA 20 recommends the following alarms be provided for fire pumps and their related
equipment:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Fire Pump Running

Fire Pump Power Failure (Loss of Power to Electric Motor)
Fire Pump Failure to Start (Diesel Engine)
Pump Controller not in Automatic Mode
Diesel Engine Trouble (incl. Battery trouble, over speed, low oil
Pump House Temperature
Suction Tank Low Water Level

Maintenance
NFPA 25 Section 8.5 - A preventive maintenance program shall be established on all components of
the pump assembly in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. Records shall be
maintained on all work performed on the pump, driver, controller and auxiliary equipment.

Operations
First arriving engine to verify that the fire Pump is in operation on fire calls. If the Pump has not
started, it should be started utilizing manual controls. If the pump cannot be started, the crew should
immediately notify command and should be documented as such.

A fire pump is the most critical single piece of fire protection equipment provided. Proper testing and
maintenance of a fire pump can mean the difference of a small controlled fire or a major fire
catastrophe.