Do you have a fire protection system or service? If so, then this article is for you. An insurance company may add the Protective Safeguards Endorsement to a commercial property policy to ensure fire protection equipment is adequately maintained. If this endorsement is attached to your policy, it’s a good idea to read it carefully. The endorsement has compliance features that, if unmet, could leave you without coverage.

Maintenance Requirement

Maintaining fire protective equipment is essential. If your business has a fire and the fire protection equipment is not in proper working order or your service is not activated, your coverage may be void.

Maintenance, for a cooking fire suppression system, may include cleaning of the kitchen hood system, filter, and nozzles frequently to prevent grease build up and professionally cleaning and inspecting the entire suppression system at least semi-annually. For sprinkler systems, proper maintenance may mean inspecting, testing, and possibly flushing the system at least annually.

Check with your professional servicer for the proper maintenance and service required for your particular system. Be certain to comply with each recommendation.

Premium Credit

The insurance company may provide a premium credit for a fire protection system, such as sprinklers. The credit is offered because protective devices help minimize damage by putting out a fire quickly. Losses would be greater if protection relied solely on when the fire department arrives. A properly working system will help keep the premium credit applied.

Benefits of Maintenance

There is significant financial value in properly maintaining the fire protection system or service. Besides minimizing fire damage, it ensures the endorsement is not used to deny coverage. Further, there is less downtime due to repairs, which means your business is up and running quickly.

Suspension or Impairments

If there are any known impairments or if there’s a suspension in operation of the system or service and the insurer is not notified, the insurer may not cover a loss. If the automatic sprinkler system is turned off because of breakage, leakage, freezing conditions, or if the sprinkler heads are open for more than 48 hours, the insurer must be notified.

Symbol Examples

One or more of these symbols may appear on your policy. Review the endorsement on your policy to determine which symbol(s) applies and their definition.

• P-1 - Automatic Fire Sprinkler System
• P-2 - Automatic Fire Alarm
• P-3 - Security Service
• P-4 - Service Contract
• P-5 - Automatic Commercial Cooking Exhaust And Extinguishing System
• P-9- System described in the schedule

Please contact your insurance professional to talk about coverages and what you need to know to ensure proper coverage in the event of a loss.

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