Fire Watch: 4-Hour Sprinkler Outage
4-Hour Sprinkler Outage? NYC Paperwork Checklist
Four hours in NYC is a lifetime. Four hours without sprinklers? That’s a code violation that starts at $5,000 and climbs every sixty minutes.
The FDNY doesn’t care if your valve supplier is stuck in Jersey traffic. They want paperwork, guards and notifications the moment water stops flowing. Miss one step and the inspector will write you up faster than you can say “impairment.”
Step 1: File the Impairment Notice Before You Shut the Valve
Log into the FDNY Business portal and submit Form 75. You need the building’s COF number, exact floor zones affected and estimated restoration time.
Hit submit at least one hour before the shutdown or the system timestamps you late. Print the confirmation page and tape it to the main fire panel. That’s your golden ticket if an inspector shows up unannounced.
Step 2: Deploy F-01 Fire Guards With Digital Logs
One guard per 50,000 sq ft is the unwritten rule, but high hazard occupancies can cut that in half. Guards must carry a valid F-01 card and a charged phone with our patrol app.
Checkpoints every 30 minutes, photos every hour, PDF log auto emailed to the building owner at shift change. We schedule guards to arrive 30 minutes before the valve closes so there’s zero gap in coverage.
Step 3: Notify Insurance and Tenants the Same Day
Email your carrier a copy of the Form 75 and the guard schedule. Most policies require “immediate notice,” and immediate means within 24 hours, not whenever the adjuster gets back from vacation.
Tenant notices go on every floor and the main entrance. Template: “Sprinkler system temporarily impaired, certified fire watch on patrol, restoration scheduled for ___.” Date it, sign it, snap a photo. That photo is your friendly neighbor evidence if someone claims they were never told.
Step 4: Close the Loop With a Restoration Report
Once the sprinkler is back online, log into the portal again and file Form 76. Attach the contractor’s pressure test certificate and the final patrol log.
An inspector may show up within 48 hours to witness a main drain test. Have the guard present with the original Form 75 and the new test results. When the inspector signs off, scan the green sticker and upload it to your insurance portal. Claim closed, no fines, no sleepless nights.
Sound like too many hoops? Our compliance desk files Forms 75 and 76 for you, dispatches F-01 guards within two hours and stores every PDF in a client dashboard you can access 24/7. Call now and let us turn your next outage into a paperwork nonevent.
