Integrated Fire and Life Safety Systems Testing in Vancouver

Ensuring Systems Work Together When It Matters Most

We can prepare and witness the integration of all fire and life safety systems in your building to confirm they all work in tandem without any gaps. The IST is a fairly new requirement that was adopted into the 2010 National Building Code (NBC) 2010 and subsequently adopted into the 2018 BC Building Code and the 2019 Vancouver Building Bylaw (VBBL).

The Integrated Systems Test is to confirm that life safety systems in buildings are working together to provide the level of safety intended by the BC Building Code. These systems include sprinklers, fire alarm, smoke dampers, fire shutters, hold open devices, smoke control, elevator recalls and more. All of these systems provide an important part of the overall safety for the building and their functionality must be “integrated”. These devices are tested individually, but testing as a whole is necessary to for proper functionality.

The fire alarm, when activated, should trigger certain actions. We all know the alarm bells must sound and we must exit the building but there is much more than that: there may be fire shutters that must close, hold open devices that release and fans that pressurize or exhaust certain areas, elevators must recall to the main level or recall to the alternate level.

For high rise buildings, smoke control is a significant life safety feature. Fans must exhaust certain areas and pressurize others. These systems must work synchronously to meet Code and maintain the level of safety intended by the original design of the building.

The IST test confirms the correct sequence of operation of various fire protection elements of the building and confirms the correct operation of each component.

Is the IST the same as the fire alarm verification or annual fire alarm test per ULC S537 and ULC S536?

You may have heard of other fire alarm tests such as the fire alarm annual test and the fire alarm verification. These tests are different than the Integrated Systems Test – and you must do all of them. None of these tests is a replacement for another.

The verification and annual fire alarm test is only a test of the fire alarm system and its components; other systems connected to the fire alarm system are not checked for the correct operation. The annual fire alarm test and verification only confirm other systems (fans, hold open devices, smoke dampers, generators, emergency lighting etc.) are connected to the fire alarm system, but they do not make sure these systems are operating as they should, nor do they check that these systems are operating as a whole.

For example, in the annual test, it will confirm that the fire alarm system sends a signal to fans, but it is not confirmed if the fans are operating as intended. The fan may need to exhaust or pressurize and some need to be connected to emergency power.

What Buildings Require an Integrated Systems Test?

Integrated systems Test is required by the BC Building Code and Fire Code where fire protection and life safety systems with life safety functions are integrated with each other and shall be tested as a whole in accordance with CAN/ULC-S1001 to verify they have been properly integrated.

The IST is required for the following:

Prior to occupancy for all new buildings where fire protection and life safety systems are integrated with each other.
Every 5 years for existing buildings.
After modification or replacement of a fire protection system or components of a system. (only the parts of the system that are modified or replaced need to undergo the IST).

Who Can Perform the IST?

Some of the concepts including smoke control for below grade or above grade in a high-rise building can be quite complex and it takes a qualified person to prepare the IST plan and approve the test.

The IST plan and approval should be done by a registered professional (Registered Architect, Professional Engineer, or Professional Licensee Engineering) with relevant experience in Part 3 of the Building Code and fire protection systems. The actual test itself should be done by qualified technicians.

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