In the engineering community, one small miscalculation or overlooked detail could prove to be disastrous. That’s particularly true of fire and life safety systems, which sit dormant and unnoticed but must perform flawlessly once triggered by a fire event. The sheer number of fire protection systems, and the need for them to work in concert, is why building owners should care about commissioning and integrated testing—practices that ensure that technical experts are involved in all phases. The commissioning process is becoming more common in commercial construction, and in many jurisdictions, now required. But in all cases, it’s just smart.
One of the biggest factors that is driving jurisdictional requirements for commissioning and integrated testing is the International Energy Conservation Code. Beginning with its 2015 edition, building commissioning requirements were expanded to include almost all commercial structures. While fire protection and life safety systems are generally not directly governed by the IECC, the requirement to test all system-to-system interfaces with systems governed by the IECC means that in most commercial buildings, integrated testing during commissioning will include fire and life safety systems.