Presenters: Cecil Bilbo, Academy of Fire Sprinkler Technology; Douglas Fisher, Fisher Engineering, Inc.; Matt Klaus, NFPA    

NFPA 3, Recommended Practice on Commissioning and Integrated Testing of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems, was adopted by the NFPA membership at the annual meeting in May 2011. It is anticipated that the requirement for commissioning of fire protection and life safety systems will grow in the coming years through revision of current NFPA documents and adoption by local AHJs. The presenters will provide a step-by-step approach to systems commissioning using the recommendations noted in NFPA 3. Actual project examples will be used to highlight the effectiveness of the commissioning process and how it is different than acceptance testing noted in the NFPA installation standards. A brief discussion of the document’s current and future status of integrated testing will also be provided.