Applying Reliability Based Decision Making to ITM Frequency

Fire Protection Research Foundation report: "Applying Reliability Based Decision Making to ITM Frequency"
Author: Francisco Joglar, Ph.D Victor Ontiveros, Ph.D Gayle Pennel, P.E., JENSEN HUGHES
Date of issue: July 2018

Report

Applying Reliability Based Decision Making to ITM Frequency

This project identifies a framework for applying reliability based decision making to ITM frequency for fire pumps. The work contained herein summarizes fire pump failure assessment methodologies, parameters for collection of retrospective fire pump ITM data, development of a predictive failure model to assess fire pump availability, and recommended procedures for ongoing data exchange.

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Many NFPA codes and standards specify the minimum requirements for periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) for fire protection systems, including for example, NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, and NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. These are often historical requirements that are not based on ITM data or on observed deficiencies. As NFPA develops new documents that involve integrated systems, the need for a more data based approach to ITM frequencies will be important.

A previous FPRF report Fire Pump Field Data Collection and Analysis and various other related research efforts exemplified the need to consolidate the multiple approaches used to collect ITM data, to support the analytics that can ultimately be used to apply reliability based decision making for specific fire protection equipment or systems.