Recently the Foster City Fire Department was made aware of a potentially serious corrosion problem in the riser assembly of some residential fire sprinkler systems. If the life safety fire sprinkler system has been affected by corrosion, it may render the system incapable of controlling and/or extinguishing a fire should one occur.

We are strongly encouraging property owners to test their fire safety sprinkler system to determine if it is functioning properly, and then continue to have it tested on a yearly basis. Maintaining a properly functioning fire sprinkler system is the responsibility of the homeowner. In order to determine if your fire sprinkler system riser is affected by corrosion, a licensed fire sprinkler contractor must perform a site inspection. To locate a qualified fire sprinkler contractor who can properly determine if there is a corrosion problem in your fire sprinkler system, you may either look in the yellow pages portion of your telephone book under “Sprinklers, Automatic Fire,” or consult the list of local contractors at the bottom of this page. The Foster City Fire Department does not endorse or recommend any individual fire sprinkler contractor.

Fire sprinkler system inspections involve flowing water through the main drain to determine the rate of flow and the recovery/refill time after the system has been drained. This inspection does not involve flowing water through the sprinkler heads located within the house.

If, during the inspection, your fire sprinkler system is determined to have a corrosion problem, the affected portion of the fire sprinkler riser should be replaced with an all-copper riser or a ready-made riser assembly that is not affected by corrosion so that it will function properly. If the fire sprinkler riser must be replaced, the homeowner must obtain a plumbing permit from the building division, located on the first floor of City Hall. The plumbing permit fee is currently $27.50, however, this fee is subject to change.

Local residential Fire Sprinkler Contractors:
Atlantis Fire Protection, Inc. (650) 692-5428
JFK Fire Protection (650) 345-2235
Seize Fire Protection (650) 570-7993
Tasc-Fire Protection Services (650) 872-2345