March/April 2020

PE Report
Virginia: Qualifications a Must for Fire Sprinkler Inspectors

In a move to protect public safety and ensure competency, Virginia will require certification of automatic fire sprinkler inspectors, starting in July 2021.

NICET, a division of NSPE that provides rigorous evaluation of engineering technicians’ and technologists’ knowledge and experience, offers the only national certification program in fire sprinkler inspection. Legislation passed last year amends state law to require fire sprinkler inspectors to hold a Level II NICET certification in inspection and testing of water-based systems, or “a substantially similar certification from a nationally recognized training program.”

The inspector certification requirement was the result of a decade of advocacy from the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s Virginia chapter. According to George Wagner, outgoing chapter executive director, the organization felt the move was necessary to ensure competency.

At least 29 states require certification for sprinkler inspectors, according to survey data reported in Sprinkler Age’s Legislative Review 2019. NICET certification is required for the vast majority of those, with a handful allowing state-based testing.

As Wagner puts it, fire sprinklers may sit for 50 years before they’re needed, but “they have to work when they’re called upon.” Unqualified individuals have been able to perform inspections in Virginia, he says, placing both community members and firefighters at risk.

The chapter developed a draft bill, found a sponsor (Senator John Edwards, D-Roanoke), hired a lobbyist, generated support among relevant state agencies, met with legislators, and educated the governor and his staff. The bill, (S.B. 1774) was signed into law in March 2019 and then sent to the Virginia Board for Contractors for implementation. Wagner served on the committee developing the regulations, which opened for public comment in October 2019. All received comments were positive.

Fire sprinkler inspectors in Virginia will now have to undergo certification renewals, which will ensure continuing education. As Wagner explained in an article he wrote for Sprinkler Age, ensuring that fire sprinkler systems are installed correctly is not enough. The same emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring the systems are well maintained and the people responsible for inspecting them have received proper training.

If a system fails, Wagner says, “people could die, buildings could burn down, sprinkler systems could get a bad name.”