Rainier Fire installs, inspects, services and monitors commercial fire alarm systems in Seattle, as part of serving all of Washington. Seattle runs its own permits, its own technician certification and a short reporting deadline. Here’s how it works, and what we take care of for you.
Seattle requires its own certification
Anyone who installs, maintains, services or tests fire and life safety systems in the city needs a Seattle Fire Department certification, renewed every year. For fire alarms, FA-1 is the full certification: install, program, inspect, test and maintain systems in any building. Rainier Fire’s work in Seattle is done by an FA-1 certified technician.
One permit, two reviews
In Seattle, fire alarm work is permitted through a single low-voltage electrical permit from the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI). That one permit covers review and inspection by both SDCI and the Seattle Fire Department. Seattle is one of about two dozen Washington cities that issue their own electrical permits and inspections instead of the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).
- New systems always get a Fire Department plan review, whatever their size.
- Changes to an existing system: adding, relocating or modifying fewer than seven devices can get an over-the-counter permit with no plan review. Seven or more needs plan review.
We prepare the drawings, apply through the Seattle Services Portal and meet the inspectors. On jobs where your electrician holds the permit, such as our Parts & Smarts program for electrical contractors, we handle the fire alarm design and certified work.
Design review by a NICET III
Washington requires fire alarm construction documents to be reviewed by a NICET Level III in Fire Alarm Systems, a Level III certified fire alarm designer or a licensed professional engineer before they’re submitted for a permit (WAC 51-54A-0907). Rainier Fire’s designs are stamped by a NICET III, so that review is built in, not an extra step. More on how we design and install systems.
Reports go through The Compliance Engine, within seven days
Fire alarm systems need an annual test, and the Seattle Fire Department requires the report through The Compliance Engine, an online system fire departments use to collect inspection reports, within seven calendar days of the inspection. The work itself must be done by someone SFD has certified. A few other Seattle rules worth knowing:
- An impaired or red-tagged system must be reported right away, and a repair report filed once it’s fixed.
- High-rise buildings can test a quarter of the system each quarter, so the whole system is covered over the year.
We file the report for you, on time. See how our inspection and testing works.
The yearly monitoring license, priced by building height
Seattle requires a yearly license for every monitored fire or sprinkler alarm system in the city. The license fee goes up with the height of the building, in three tiers: under 3 stories, 3 to 4 stories, and 5 or more stories. The city says the fees offset the cost of police and fire responses to false or unintentional alarms.
You don’t apply for this license yourself. The monitoring company holds it and pays it, and the city notes that monitoring companies may bill their customers for it. It’s worth asking how it’s billed when you compare monitoring quotes for a Seattle building.
What we do in Seattle
- Installation & design for new construction and tenant improvements, from plans to fire department acceptance.
- Inspection & testing, with the report filed for you.
- Panel replacement & upgrades when a panel reaches end of life.
- Monitoring & cellular communicators, so your alarm keeps reporting as copper phone lines are retired.
- Parts & Smarts for electrical contractors who want to keep the fire alarm scope.
Have a building in Seattle?
Tell us the address and what you need. We’ll handle the permit, the certified work and the report.
Get a QuoteSources
- Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections, Fire Alarm Permit.
- Seattle Fire Department, Certification Testing and What Certification Exam Should I Take?.
- Seattle Fire Department, Systems Testing (reporting through The Compliance Engine).
- City of Seattle, Alarm System Monitoring (monitoring license fees).
- Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, City electrical permits and inspections.
- Washington Administrative Code, WAC 51-54A-0907, fire alarm design review.