Norred Fire Systems, LLC

Great morning for golf with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce!!

Can’t wait to share photos of the monster fire pump we will be connecting to these parts!! Holyfield Inc

Getting everything together for a 10” fire main install at a local warehouse—big job, and we’re ready to knock it out! 💪🔧

🔥 Interested in exploring a career in the fire sprinkler industry? Start by dipping your toes in with the best in the business! This FREE course is perfect for those new to the industry, offering a solid introduction to the world of fire sprinklers and their critical role in fire protection and life safety.

Participants will gain insights into fire dynamics, learn about the functions of sprinklers in various settings, and even get hands-on experience to better understand this essential field.

Ready to get started? There's no cost for this course, so take advantage of this opportunity to explore a rewarding career path! See more info at https://www.firesprinkler.org/calendarevent/introduction-to-the-fire-sprinkler-industry-4/

Portable Fire Extinguishers Dramatically Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Building Fires

FEMA (Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association) recently commissioned a new study on the role portable extinguishers play in reducing carbon monoxide in a building with automatic sprinklers. It found that portable fire extinguishers can reduce fire-related CO2 in a building by over 93% beyond sprinklers on their own. When sprinklers and portable extinguishers are used together, fire-related carbon emissions are cut by 99%.

The benefits of adding fire extinguishers to a building’s fire protection to reduce its carbon footprint can readily be seen when evaluating emergency response to a fire. These can be categorized into three areas:

1) Extinguishers for the earliest stage of fire,

2) Automatic fire sprinklers if the fire grows, and

3) Fire departments if the other two fail.

Consequently, carbon emissions increase each time there is a delay in putting out the fire. With that said, fire extinguishers offer the highest reduction of carbon emissions of any emergency fire response when used early. What’s more, studies show portable fire extinguishers, when used early, not only reduce the carbon footprint during a fire but also reduce carbon emissions during reconstruction.

This new study assesses the value of installing and using portable fire extinguishers to reduce carbon emissions during a fire over a building’s lifetime. It’s well known that fire extinguishers extinguish hundreds of thousands of fires every year. When used by building occupants before automatic sprinklers activate or the fire department arrives, carbon emissions can be drastically curtailed.

Ensuring Fire Safety: The Vital Importance of Proper Fire Extinguisher Maintenance

You’ve seen it a million times in movies and TV shows – a small fire breaks out, and a heroic character grabs a Fire Extinguisher and puts out the flames before they can grow larger. But here is the problem: in the real world, if the Fire Extinguisher isn’t properly maintained and charged when our hero grabs it, it won’t work.

In 2021, $16 billion worth of damage was caused by fire, a 50.7% jump since 2012, and Deaths reached 3,800, an increase of 24.4% since 2012, according to FEMA records. While you always have to use your best judgment when using a Fire Extinguisher, this is one instance when knowing that it works properly could mean the difference between life and death.

As a facility manager, you must worry about all these problems at scale. Whether you are responsible for five stores or 10,000 restaurants, having a Fire and Life Safety provider you trust to help you ensure your sites are all up to code is essential. Let’s dive into what a fire extinguisher service interval looks like for clients to keep them compliant.

Why, When, and How are these services performed?

First, the code requires a monthly visual inspection to make sure the Fire Extinguisher is not damaged, a check of the gauge to ensure it is in the “green” and properly charged and is accessible.
Next, it is mandatory that ALL Fire Extinguishers are maintained every year. This ensures that the extinguisher will perform at peak performance in the event of a fire.
Every five years, all Class K and Carbon Dioxide extinguishers should be hydro-statically tested to ensure the cylinder’s integrity.
Every extinguisher that is eligible for a 12-year hydrostatic test is due for a “6-year maintenance” every six years.
Every 12 years, a hydrostatic test should be performed on the following extinguishers:
Dry chemical, stored pressure, with mild steel, brazed brass or aluminum shells
Dry chemical, cartridge or cylinder-operated, with mild steel shells
Halogenated agents
Dry powder, cartridge or cylinder-operated with mild steel shells
Do you feel like you can keep track of all those steps for all your facilities? Odds are, probably not. Even if you could, a licensed and trained specialist from Norred Fire Sytems would help keep you up to date on the latest code changes and keep detailed records of when these services are performed.

Ensuring reliable Fire Extinguishers across multiple locations or even a single location is no easy feat. With a rise in fire-related risks, a unified fire protection service is crucial. Delivering consistent quality service, Norred Fire Systems ensures compliance and peace of mind. In a world where the stakes are high, a unified agreement for fire protection becomes a vital safeguard against the unpredictable nature of fires.

Ensuring Emergency Light Compliance and Safety for Your Business

If a sudden power outage casts you, your customers, employees, or vendors into darkness, would everyone be able to escape the premises quickly and safely? Finding a way out of this situation will depend on having correctly functioning Exit Signs and Emergency Lights. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about this critical life safety equipment until they’re in the dark. Then it’s too late.

Did you know that the NFPA 101® Life Safety Code mandates regular tests of Emergency Lights? In this NFPA code, it states that every month, a 30-second push button test is to be performed, and an annual 90-minute functional test must be performed on these devices. Keeping up with the codes and standards are difficult enough, let alone having to run your business on top of that. Well, that’s where Norred Fire Systems comes into the picture.

We offer coverage for all the Fire and Life Safety equipment in your building, including Exit Signs and Emergency Lighting. Our services include trained and certified technicians who can perform the necessary services to keep your facility compliant and your occupants and employees safe, including required Monthly and Annual Inspections, Tests, and Maintenance tasks, and any mandated repairs or replacements. These precautions ensure safe exits in an emergency and that the proper records are kept for AHJs.

Are Your Fire Alarm Systems Being Properly Inspected?

As a Facility Manager, keeping your property, employees, and occupants safe in the event of fire is number one on your list. A close second would be doing so easily and economically. Maintaining your Fire Alarm System(s) would be the place to start. After all, it offers the early warning people need to vacate the premises and alerts the fire department to an emergency. Besides that, there are a number of other reasons you'll want to have them inspected annually, like:

Codes Require It
All Fire Alarm systems are required by law to be inspected at least once a year. The annual inspection includes a full battery of fire panel tests as well as tests on smoke detectors, duct detectors, horns, strobes, chimes, etc. We typically perform these services in a way that minimizes disruption to your business.

Insurance Requires It
If there is a fire at your business, your insurance company will ask you if you are up to date on your yearly fire inspections and tests. If you are unable to provide evidence of these inspections and tests, your claim may be denied. We will record and keep all these inspection and testing records, which you can easily access anytime.

Saves Lives and Property
A Fire Alarm system needs to be correctly maintained and monitored to perform its function and safeguard the lives of your staff, occupants, and customers. Many Fire Alarm malfunctions can only be identified with a comprehensive Fire Alarm System test. Ignoring your Fire Alarm equipment can put lives at risk, and you don’t want that responsibility. Can you imagine the revenue loss your business would experience if you had to close for six months? Preventing a fire before it’s too late not only saves lives but also reduces the damage to your property. We help keep your Fire Alarm system operating, which keeps your business running and making money.

Having your Fire Alarm System inspected and tested by Norred Fire Systems makes sense. It can save you and your business from financial and physical ruin, not to mention the lives and livelihoods of the people who work in, occupy, or visit your building.

What Do You Know About Backflow and Drinking Water?

Water. The source of life. A massive benefit to living in modern society is having clean water available at any time. All you have to do is turn on the tap and it comes flowing out crystal clean. But how do we ensure it stays that way, that no dirty water gets mixed back in with the clean? Simple—Backflow Preventers. But what are they? Here’s a simple analogy.

Ten Straws—One Glass of Water
Imagine, for a moment, a glass of water and 10 straws. You have to share this glass of water with a group of people. Why is this an issue? Backflow, or for this analogy, backwash. When someone sucks on a straw, a certain amount of what they’re drinking flows back into the glass, along with debris. But what if your straw had a small valve on it that only allowed water to flow one way and not back into the glass? Well, that’s what a Backflow Preventer does, just on a much larger scale. It prevents contaminated water in sprinkler and standpipe systems from backflowing into potable (or drinking) water.

Let’s Think About That
No one wants to share one glass of water with ten people any more than they want to drink contaminated water from Sprinkler and Standpipe systems. That’s why Backflow Preventers are installed wherever sprinklers, standpipes, or wherever anything else poses the potential for mixing contaminates with potable water. Building codes require this as well.

What Causes Backflow?
There are two types of backflow conditions that can allow contaminants into potable water—Backpressure and Backsiphonage. Backpressure is caused by an increase of pressure in the downstream piping, creating a reversal in the normal direction of water flow. Backsiphonage is the reversal of normal flow in plumbing that results from negative pressure (vacuum or partial vacuum) in the supply piping. Three contributing factors need to be present, too—a connection, force, and contaminants.

Testing and Maintaining Backflow Preventers
Backflow Preventers require annual testing and occasional maintenance to ensure they’re operating correctly to keep potable water clean. They also need to be inspected internally every five years, per NFPA 25, to verify that all components operate correctly, move freely, and are in good condition. Although some parts are routinely replaced at that time, problematic components can also be identified and replaced with new ones.

Backflow Preventers play a major role in ensuring that all of us have safe, clean drinking water. To do so, they need to be kept in good working. So the next time you turn on a tap and see clean, clear water—remember the important role this safety device plays in keeping it that way!

Choosing the correct kitchen ventilation is the most important part of building your restaurant! Let the experts at Norred Fire Systems design a custom system to fit your needs.

Norred Fire Systems is your source for design, installation, and service for restaurant fire suppression systems. Make sure your restaurant is protected today. Call Now!