Ultimate checklist to conducting a
Fire Hydrant System 5-Yearly Service

Request a FREE copy of the checklist and we will give you immediate access by email to 41 tips and suggestions to help you get great value from your five yearly fire hydrant system test.

Sharing this checklist might get us in trouble from some industry people, who don't want us to speak up, but we can't stand by and watch what has been happening. We desperately want to educate building owners on their obligations and the misrepresentations (and misleading information) our industry keeps perpetuating, and this checklist will help (a lot).

The Ultimate checklist to conducting a Fire Hydrant System 5-Yearly Service is an invaluable resource to building owners and managers who need to conduct the fire hydrant system five yearly service.

A fire hydrant system is required to be inspected, tested and a survey conducted on a periodic (monthly, 6-monthly, yearly & 5-yearly) basis. If there is a booster, pumps, tanks or multiple pressure zones fitted, there are likely significant additional obligations for maintenance and statutory (legal) compliance.

The ultimate fire hydrant five-yearly service checklist is your guide to ensure peace of mind that your fire hydrant system is tested correctly and competently in accordance with Australian Standard AS 1851:2012 (including Amendment 2)!

Spoke with Will on a Monday, met on the Tuesday, job was completed on the Wednesday. Was a professional and prompt service. Highly recommended.

— Dallas Krueger, Manager

The complexity and diversity of our systems has meant the Firewize has had to be flexible and responsive to our changing needs. Not only in maintaining our systems, but also in advising us on ways to improve and enhance our quality program. All of this is done in a professional and meticulous manner.

— Ian Douglas, Engineering Services

I engaged Firewize as leaders in their field for their technical expertise and rigour of documentation of the service provided. They provided the required service, whilst providing both expert and practical input to the project. Firewize exceeded my expectations.

— David Swinson, Building Surveyor

We engaged Firewize to help with our fire protection maintenance. The service was exceptional and the team really know their stuff. No hesitation in recommending Firewize.

— Robert Tini, Regional Maintenance Manager

How a hydrostatic test can go all wrong! (this happened to us!)

A few years ago, we conducted the industry standard 'hydrostatic test' of the fire hydrant system for a large retail property. In order to undertake this test, we needed to control and direct traffic around the test for one of Melbourne's premier retail shopping strips. To do this we needed to; write a traffic management plan, pay the council for permits and then engage a traffic management company for three hours between 3am and 6am on a Wednesday morning. All of this just so we could perform the 'hydrostatic test'.

Looking back, we can confidently say that unfortunately we didn't do our research correctly and we were probably sucked into the industry paradigm of how the test should be conducted, being led by the nose from an 'industry expert'.

Supervisor in high visibility vest working at night

Attending the site was a ~~cast of thousands~~ (well at least a dozen people), all of whom were on the clock... (We had given the customer a fixed price quote to undertake the work and complete the test).

Where it all went wrong

Yes... and as you can guess it all went wrong, and our project supervisor at the time who was regarded by many as an industry expert had egg on his face. (There is no doubt in my mind that this would not have happened if he had have followed the Ultimate Fire Hydrant 5-Yearly Service Checklist.

There were a number of things that went wrong and ultimately we had to conduct this test TWO MORE TIMES at our own expense, so here is a summary list of some of the things that went wrong;

We did not have an accurate block diagram showing the layout of the fire hydrant system, including the location of backflow prevention, water supply valves, isolating valves and booster connections;
There was a secondary water supply from another street that we were not aware of, it was not shown on the block plan (so the block plans were incorrect);
The backflow prevention (check valves) were not operating correctly, and were passing water. This means no matter how much water you try and use on the hydrostatic pressure test, it will never hold water, leading to a failed test;
The main sluice valves were not easily identified and covered by fresh bitumen and not accessible;
The hydrant landing valve washers had minor leaks (i.e. they did not have their washers replaced in the previous 5-years.

This is a high-level summary of everything that went wrong, and luckily for us there was no major water leaks.

Ultimately we had to complete this test three times before the test was successfully completed at a cost to us of over $30,000.00...

Don't be confused by the industry language that a "hydrostatic test" is the same as the "five-yearly service"... it's not, the five-yearly service is much, much more than just a hydrostatic pressure test!

What we have learned in the past 10 years!

Hydrant Check Valve (Backflow Prevention)

It has been over 10 years since the aforementioned fire hydrant system 'hydrostatic test' and we have learned a lot. You see at Firewize when something goes wrong, we conduct a 'root cause analysis' and reverse engineer the problem to see what we did wrong. On this occasion we found there were a mountain of things we could improve (and we did).

So here are 5 things you can do right now to help make sure you conduct a successful fire hydrant system five-yearly service (including the fire hydrant system pressure test);

Make sure you have access to a current and accurate fire hydrant system block plan for the site;
Make sure you know the performance criteria for the fire hydrant system. What Standard of performance was the system designed to and what is the working pressure and hydrostatic test pressure;
Inspect and test each fire hydrant system backflow prevention device and check valve to ensure it is working, in the correct orientation and and not passing water;
Identify and test the operation of each of the water supply stop valves and isolating valves, in case you need to control the water flow quickly in the event of an unplanned water leak;
Inspect each hydrant landing valve and replace perishable items such as washers.

But don't stop there, fill in the form above and ask us to send you a copy of the Ultimate Fire Hydrant 5-Yearly Service Checklist, which contains 41 additional items (including safety precautions) to ensure your fire hydrants system is inspected and tested correctly in accordance with Australian Standard AS1851:2012 (A2).

Managing the fire and essential safety measures in a building can be a complex and daunting task, even for the most seasoned building professional. If the routine servicing of a fire hydrant system if not done correctly by so-called industry professionals, this activity can be very risky, and cause significant damage or loss.

In our experience there are THREE pieces of information insurance companies always ask for;

A copy of the yearly water supply proving test (flow test) report for the fire hydrant system; and
A copy of the yearly water supply proving test (flow test) report for an automatic fire sprinkler system; and
A copy of the 5-yearly service report for the fire hydrant system including the hydrostatic pressure test report.

If in the unlikely event that you have a fire in your building, you will need each of these reports and the associated maintenance activities. By requesting a copy of the Ultimate Fire Hydrant 5-Yearly Service Checklist you will have a framework for undertaking this test and managing the compliance for your building.