Impairment

Definition

A water-based system out of service, which starts a tagging, notification and fire-watch duty.

Why It Matters

NFPA 25 puts the duty on the property owner and not on the inspection contractor, and moves it to a tenant or managing firm only where a lease or management contract grants that party authority over inspection, testing and maintenance. The hinge for a buyer is that an impairment found during an inspection counts as an emergency impairment, so the visit that produces the repair quote is the event that starts the clock. A preplanned impairment running past ten hours in any twenty-four demands an evacuation, an approved fire watch or a temporary water supply, and the coordinator has to notify the fire department, the insurance carrier, the alarm company and the owner. Ask whether the company holds coordinator duties on any account by contract, whether it bills for fire watch or absorbs it, and whether tags are being hung and logged. Deficiencies found with no tags behind them are uninsured exposure arriving with the business.