A fire protection sprinkler is a system of overhead piping designed in accordance with fire protection engineering standards. The system is supplied from a reliable, constant and sufficient water supply, such as a gravity tank, fire pump, reservoir or pressure tank, and/or connection by underground piping to a city main. The portion of the sprinkler system above ground is considered the fire protection sprinkler system. It is a network of specially sized or hydraulically designed piping installed in a building, structure, or area, generally overhead, and to which sprinklers are connected in a systematic pattern. The system includes a controlling valve and device for actuating an alarm when the system is in operation. The system is usually activated by heat from a fire and discharges water over the fire area.
Fire protection sprinkler systems include the following types: Wet-pipe systems, dry-pipe systems, pre-action systems, deluge systems, combined dry-pipe and pre-action systems, antifreeze systems, and circulating closed loop systems, all as defined in National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, latest edition, or National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet 13D, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One and Two Family Dwellings and Mobile Homes, latest edition.
A person in the business of installation, repair, alteration, addition, maintenance, or inspection of a fire protection sprinkler system may be required to be licensed under the laws of the state, which vary by state. States often delegate administration authority to the State Fire Marshal.
