SA: New License for the Testing of Fire Equipment

This article about the new license for the testing fire equipment in South Australia has been provided by Alan Short, Fire & Emergency Services SA Pty Ltd.

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The Department of Consumer and Business Services has introduced a new license for the inspection and testing of water based fire systems.

What are water based fire protection systems?

These are systems like

• Fire sprinkler systems
• Fire pumpsets
• Fire hydrants and boosters
• Fire hose reels.

When does this new license come into effect?

There are 4 critical dates summarised in the following table.

What do I need to ask for?

You need to ensure that the service technician doing the inspection and testing of the water based fire protection systems on your site has either a trainee or full licence, see the example below.

If they do not have one then it is illegal for them to test these fire systems and should something happen you have exposed yourself to increased legal risk. It’s like not using a licensed electrician to install a new light or socket, all OK until something goes wrong and then you are in trouble.

What about licenses for Sprinkler Fitters?

A sprinkler fitting registration is a higher qualification. Therefore a person with a sprinkler fitting registration can also do the inspection and testing of these water based fire systems.

What about a plumber?

A standard plumber is not licensed to do this work, only a Master Plumber is, they have a higher level of registration. However a Master Plumber can only do work on systems they are competent in, so if they have never done the work then they can’t do it without getting the correct qualification.

What work can they do?

A person with the new registration can inspect and test the above equipment except for:

• Yearly, 3, 5 and 6 yearly tests of sprinkler systems
• Yearly (for buildings tested to AS1851:2012 standard), 3, 5 and 6 yearly tests of hydrant and booster systems.

Are FESSA staff qualified?

All of our staff have this license, some have had it for a year. So if you are using our team on your sites you just need to obtain a copy of their license for your own records – which they all carry with them.

Want to know more?

If you want to know more visit the Consumer and Business Services website or call our office on 08 8262 9245 or [email protected]

Have a question about the new license for the testing fire equipment in South Australia or something to add to the article? Leave a comment below.

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This post appears in Strata News #324.

Alan Short
Fire & Emergency Services SA Pty Ltd
T: 08 8262 9245
E: [email protected]

Alan Short & Nick Grice from Fessa have published a book: A Practical Guide to Emergency Planning. You can get your free copy here.

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This article is not intended to be personal advice and you should not rely on it as a substitute for any form of advice.

This article has been republished with permission from the author and first appeared on the FESSA website.

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