OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY DEPARTMENT

714 W Lombard St
Baltimore, MD 21201
410 706 3494
www.umaryland.edu/firesafety

UMB Fire Protection System Impairment Procedures

I. Purpose:

To establish procedures in cases where the University’s water-based fire protection systems will
be temporarily out of service because of an impairment.

II. Definitions:

Impairment – A condition where a fire protection system or unit or portion thereof is out of order,
and the condition can result in the fire protection system or unit not functioning in a fire event
(NFPA 25 Section 3.3.21 (2017)).

Planned Impairment – A condition where a water-based fire protection system or portion

thereof is out of service due to work planned in advance, such as revisions to the water supply
or sprinkler system piping.

Emergency Impairment – A condition where a water-based fire protection system or portion

thereof is out of order due to an unplanned occurrence, or the impairment is found while
performing inspection, testing, or maintenance activities.

III. Procedure

This procedure is in effect whenever there is an impairment, with respect to all portions of the
University affected by the impairment.

1. Planned Impairments:
a) Complete a Request for Outage Form and submit to the UMB Office of Facilities
Operations.
b) If the outage is approved, the UMB Office of Facilities & Operations will notify the
appropriate parties, including, but not limited to: UMB Fire Marshal, UMB
Environmental Health & Safety, UMB Police & Public Safety (“UMB Police”), the
Building Manager, UMB Facilities Maintenance, UMB Facilities Operations, and
UMB Design & Construction.
c) If assistance is required from the UMB Electronics Shop to prevent the impacted
fire alarm system from activating, the UMB Fire Alarm System Impairment
Procedure must be followed.
d) The UMB Plumbing Shop is the only group permitted to open and close any fire
protection related valve.
e) If the work is being performed by a contractor, the contractor must be on-site with all
tools and equipment necessary before the UMB Plumbing Shop will begin closing
valves or draining portions of the system.
 OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY DEPARTMENT

714 W Lombard St
Baltimore, MD 21201
410 706 3494
www.umaryland.edu/firesafety

f) The individual performing the work must remain on-site for the duration of the
impairment. If the individual performing the work desires to leave the site, each fire
department connection and system control valve shall be tagged to indicate that the
system, or part thereof, has been removed from service.
g) Planned impairments may not exceed 8 hours in a 24 hour period.
h) At the conclusion of the impairment, the UMB Plumbing Shop will refill the system
with assistance from the UMB Electronics Shop.
i. The UMB Plumbing Shop is responsible for ensuring all valves are open,
equipment is turned on, and pressure gauges are normal.
ii. The UMB Electronics Shop is responsible for ensuring the fire alarm control
panel is restored to its original condition and for signing the building back-in
at the Pine St Annex Police Communications Office.
iii. The individual performing the work is responsible for ensuring there are no
leaks and the system was repaired as directed by UMB.
iv. The UMB Fire Marshal shall be contacted for inspection and all necessary
tests.

2. Emergency Impairments:
a) Examples of emergency impairments include, but are not limited to: interruption of
water supply, frozen or ruptured piping, and equipment failure.
b) UMB Facilities Management shall be immediately notified.
c) UMB Facilities Management will assess the emergency and report to the UMB Fire
Marshal and Building Manager the extent of the damage and an estimated timeline
for restoration.
d) The UMB Fire Marshal is responsible for notifying additional personnel on an as-
needed basis.
e) If assistance is required from the UMB Electronics Shop to prevent the impacted fire
alarm system from activating, the UMB Fire Alarm System Impairment Procedure
must be followed.
f) The UMB Plumbing Shop is the only group permitted to open and close any fire
protection related valve.
g) The individual performing the work must remain on-site for the duration of the
impairment. If the individual performing the work desires to leave the site, each fire
department connection and system control valve shall be tagged to indicate that the
system, or part thereof, has been removed from service.
h) At the conclusion of the impairment, the UMB Plumbing Shop will refill the system
with assistance from the UMB Electronics Shop.
i. The UMB Plumbing Shop is responsible for ensuring all valves are open,
equipment is turned on, and pressure gauges are normal.
ii. The UMB Electronics Shop is responsible for ensuring the fire alarm control
panel is restored to its original condition and signing the building back-in at
the Pine St Annex Police Communications Office.
 OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY DEPARTMENT

714 W Lombard St
Baltimore, MD 21201
410 706 3494
www.umaryland.edu/firesafety

iii. The individual performing the work is responsible for ensuring there are no
leaks and the system was repaired as directed by UMB.
iv. The UMB Fire Marshal shall be contacted for inspection and any necessary
tests.

3. Impairments greater than 8 hours in a 24 hour period:

a) A planned impairment greater than 8 hours in a 24 hour period may be requested for
approval from the UMB Fire Marshal.
b) All impairments exceeding 8 hours in a 24 hour period will be subject to all
procedures stated above.
c) All impairments exceeding 8 hours in a 24 hour period will be subject to a fire watch,
following the UMB Fire Watch Procedures.
d) The UMB Fire Marshal will notify the Baltimore City Fire Department (“BCFD”)
and Treasurer of the State of Maryland (Insurance Division) with the details of the
impairment.
e) Each fire department connection and system control valve shall be tagged to indicate
that the system, or part thereof, has been removed from service.

A signed copy of this procedure must remain at the FACP for the duration of the impairment.

Building Name: ______________________________________

Building Address: ______________________________________

Electronics Shop Signature: ______________________________________

Plumbing Shop Signature: ______________________________________

Signature of Person Performing Work: ______________________________________

Updated August 2021