The initial inspection of a newly installed fire protection system means a thorough examination of the system "through and through".

• Does the scope of protection comply with legal and insurance requirements?
• Is the quantity of extinguishing agent sufficiently measured and adapted to the existing object of protection?
• Is the functional interaction of the components ensured?

Changed general conditions such as changes in the use of buildings and rooms or the changeover to other storage materials can impair the effectiveness of fire protection systems. For this reason, in addition to the initial inspection, a regular repeat inspection by VdS experts must be carried out, for example at semi-annual or annual intervals.

The most senior Building Inspection Authorities of the individual Federal States in Germany, as legislators in the Building Code of the Federal States, require the building owner or operator to inspect safety-relevant systems and facilities; in structural facilities and rooms of a special type and use (so-called special buildings).

Hydrant systems ensure both self-protection for everyone in case of fire and the water supply for the fire brigade. For this reason, the individual ordinances of the federal states now also increasingly require initial and recurring inspections of hydrant systems by experts.

Voice-activated alarm systems are becoming increasingly more important because, after a fire has been detected, they can also guide people who are unfamiliar with the location, e.g. in shopping arcades and department stores, to safety by means of targeted announcements. Voice activated alarm systems enable various automatic messages as well as situation-dependent live announcements by security personnel or the fire department in all affected areas.

In high rooms such as production halls, atriums or airport terminals as well as in server rooms with a high air exchange rate, smoke may be detected too late. In these critical environments, VdS determines the optimal project planning of smoke detectors using a smoke generator developed in-house.

Ageing processes and other influences can completely seal pipe networks - watertight!

Sprinkler pipes corrode and are subject to other atmospheric and operational environmental conditions. These influences have a considerable impact on the reliability and effectiveness of extinguishing systems. The sprinklers and the pipe network are particularly affected, which can only be subjected to visual inspection from the outside as part of the recurring tests.

If gas extinguishing systems are a building block in the protection concept, it is important to know how airtight the room to be protected is. VdS has developed a so-called "door fan test" for this purpose. In this test, different pressure conditions are generated in the protected area and all outflows are measured. In this way, one knows exactly how large the leakage area is in each location.

Fire protection closures (including self-closing doors, flaps, curtains) are designed to prevent the passage of fire or smoke through openings in walls and ceilings for a defined period of time. In many areas of application such as industrial plants, airports, meeting places or warehouses, fire protection closures are a decisive protective measure.

Special extinguishing systems are systems for special applications. Examples are spark extinguishing systems and extinguishing systems for kitchen protection.

In addition to the VdS expert examinations, our experts offer to work out a practice-oriented protection concept together with the operator and to carry out the training of the employees. The employees will then know exactly what to do when a gas extinguishing system is triggered.