Fire protection: fire dampers, smoke dampers, and smoke control systems.

Existing law requires that every automatic fire extinguishing system, including, but not limited to, fire sprinkler systems, engineered and preengineered fixed extinguishing systems, standpipe systems, and alarm and supervisory equipment attached to those systems, be serviced, tested, and maintained in accordance with regulations and building standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal. Existing law requires the owner or operator of any privately owned high rise structure to annually certify that the owner has requested the appropriate local fire enforcing agency to conduct an inspection of the building to determine its conformance with all applicable high rise structure fire safety standards and requires that the certification be submitted by letter to the State Fire Marshal. This bill would establish the Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Fire Damper, Smoke Damper, and Smoke Control System Inspection Verification Program. The bill would require that the owner of a building equipped with HVAC fire dampers, smoke dampers, or a smoke control system has any fire dampers and smoke dampers inspected and tested, as specified, by a qualified inspector, as defined, no less than once after the first year of installation and once every 4 years thereafter. The bill would require that the owner of a hospital have the hospital's fire dampers and smoke dampers inspected and tested, as specified, by a qualified inspector no less than once after the first year of installation and once every 6 years thereafter. The bill would require that smoke control systems be tested periodically, as specified, and require that dedicated smoke control systems be tested at least annually. The bill would provide for compliance certification by persons performing any inspection and testing and require that any deficiency be brought into compliance within 60 days. The bill would provide for posting of a verification of the inspection and testing, containing specified information, in the outside lobby window or the building or another area clearly visible to the public.