A good fire suppression service agreement does three things in writing. It commits the company to every visit NFPA 96 requires, it says exactly what each visit includes and what costs extra, and it leaves you with records you can hand a fire marshal or an insurer. Boss Fire Protection puts its fire suppression system service plans in writing for kitchens across Dallas-Fort Worth, and the checklist below works for any agreement you are asked to sign.
- At least two visits a year, never more than 6 months apart
- New metal alloy fusible links at every one of those visits
- Every pull station, shutoff and detector tested, not looked at
- A written price, and repairs quoted before they are done
What Should a Fire Suppression Service Agreement Include?
It should include a visit at least every 6 months, with new metal alloy fusible links and a test of every actuation and control part each time. It should also promise a tag and a written report after each visit, a price for the year in writing, a clear rule for quoting repairs, and the company’s Texas registration number.
The visit, the links, the testing and the tag come from what NFPA 96 asks of the system’s owner. The report, the written price, the quoting rule and the registration are what protect you as the buyer. An agreement that promises less than the standard leaves you holding the gap, because the duty to keep the system maintained stays with the owner of the system unless it has been passed to someone else in writing.
The Clauses to Check, One by One
| Clause | What a good agreement says |
|---|---|
| Visit frequency | At least every 6 months, with the months named |
| Scope of each visit | Every pull station, mechanical and electrical device, detector and actuator tested to the manufacturer’s procedures |
| Fusible links | Metal alloy links replaced at each semiannual visit and the old ones destroyed |
| The tag | Link year of manufacture and installation date marked, and signed or initialed |
| Report | A written report after every visit, ideally with dated photographs |
| Repairs and recharges | Quoted in writing before the work, and whether parts carried on the truck are fitted the same visit |
| Scheduling | Who tracks the due dates and books the visit |
| License | The company’s Texas Department of Insurance registration and the technician’s license |
2 dates
What NFPA 96 requires on the system inspection tag for the fusible links at every visit, their year of manufacture and their date of installation, with the tag signed or initialed by the installer.
Sourced to NFPA 96, Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations
How Pricing Should Be Written
A per-visit price is only comparable if you know what it covers. Ask whether the fusible links and the tag are included, whether a second trip to fit a part is charged, and how repairs found during a visit are priced. Boss Fire quotes larger kitchens by the number of systems, hoods and nozzles, and other companies may price them differently. What an inspection visit costs, and what should be in it for the money, is set out in what a fire suppression inspection costs.
Does a Service Agreement Make the Company Responsible for Compliance?
Not by itself. NFPA 96 leaves the responsibility for inspection, testing and maintenance with the owner of the system unless it has been transferred in writing to a management company, tenant or other party. A service agreement usually covers doing the work, so the owner still needs to make sure every visit actually happens.
That is why the scheduling clause matters. If the agreement says the company tracks your dates and books the visits, a missed visit is a breach you can point to. If it says nothing, the calendar is yours.
Records the Agreement Should Leave Behind
NFPA 96 expects certificates of inspection and maintenance to be forwarded to the authority having jurisdiction where required, by hard copy or electronically. An agreement should say who sends them, and should give you a copy of everything. A report with dated photographs of the cylinder, the links, the nozzles and the pull station is what proves a visit did what the tag says. How to tell whether a company is doing that work at every visit is the subject of how to vet your fire suppression company.
Term, Renewal and Leaving
Read how long the agreement runs, whether it renews by itself and how much notice ends it. If you change companies, ask for your full service history before the last visit, so the new company starts with the dates of your links, your last hydrostatic test and any open repairs. In Texas the work is done to the 2021 editions of NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A listed in the State Fire Marshal’s 2023 adopted rule, whichever company holds the agreement.
A Boss Fire Service Plan in Dallas-Fort Worth
Boss Fire Protection is registered with the Texas Department of Insurance under Fire Extinguisher Certificate of Registration TX ECR-2481913. We quote each site by its systems and parts and put the price in writing before any work begins. We track your service windows and book the visits around your hours, carry fusible links, nozzles, caps and cartridges on the truck so what we find is fixed the same visit, and photograph every visit into your service record. We service every major brand, not only the systems we install. Send us the number of hoods and systems at your site and we will send the agreement for you to read.
Sources: NFPA 96, Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations (National Fire Protection Association), on maintenance every 6 months by trained, qualified and certified persons, testing every actuation and control component to the manufacturer’s procedures, following the manufacturer’s manuals and service bulletins, semiannual replacement of metal alloy fusible links, marking their year of manufacture and installation date on a signed or initialed tag, destroying removed links, forwarding certificates of inspection and maintenance to the authority having jurisdiction where required, and responsibility resting with the owner of the system unless transferred in writing. Texas Department of Insurance, State Fire Marshal’s Office, 2023 adopted rule listing NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A, 2021 editions, for fire extinguishing systems. Boss Fire Protection’s fire suppression system service page, on its written quotes, tracked scheduling, parts carried on the truck, photographed service records and the brands it services.
Put a Licensed Fire Protection Team on Your Side
Inspections, service, red-tag repair, and new installs for commercial kitchens across Dallas-Fort Worth. Photo-documented work and a written report, every visit.
