Free checklist
Fire department connection (FDC) annual maintenance checklist
The annual fire department connection service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 13, NFPA 25. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
- Items
- 4
- Photos required
- 5
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The licensed fire-protection contractor performs and certifies the internal inspection of the FDC and check valve and any required flow work, with the AHJ witnessing; the building team observe and record the condition and results.
When in the schedule
On the system's periodic cycle, the pass that looks inside the FDC and the check valve for obstruction, which no external cap-and-approach round can confirm.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Internal inspection observed
- 2 photos
Inlet interior and obstruction check witnessed
Contractor's internal inspection observed with the inlets opened, the interior seen clear of debris, ice or foreign material back to the check valve, findings recorded.
- 1 photo
Check valve condition observed
Check valve seen holding as the contractor tests it, no back-leakage into the FDC piping, any weeping or seat wear the contractor calls out noted for follow-up.
Hardware and record
- 1 photo
Caps, gaskets and swivels renewed as needed
Any missing cap, worn gasket or seized swivel the contractor replaces observed and logged, inlets left capped and turning freely after the work.
- 1 photo
Test tag current and deficiencies logged
Updated tag with the inspection date at the FDC, any obstruction or check-valve issue raised written into the site record with the follow-up, separate from the contractor's certified report.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Internal obstruction inspection skipped for years, so a slug of debris or a swollen gasket behind the inlet chokes the flow when the FDC is finally used.
- Check valve found weeping back into the system but the finding never dated on the building side, so it slips off the follow-up list.
- Contractor's certified report filed but nothing recorded at the site, so the AHJ can't be shown when the connection was last opened up.
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 5 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Common questions
- What does this fire department connection (fdc) annual checklist cover?
- 4 items across 2 sections, covering internal inspection observed, hardware and record. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The licensed fire-protection contractor performs and certifies the internal inspection of the FDC and check valve and any required flow work, with the AHJ witnessing; the building team observe and record the condition and results.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- On the system's periodic cycle, the pass that looks inside the FDC and the check valve for obstruction, which no external cap-and-approach round can confirm.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- 5 of the 4 items call for photo evidence. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a fire department connection (fdc) annual inspection?
- Internal obstruction inspection skipped for years, so a slug of debris or a swollen gasket behind the inlet chokes the flow when the FDC is finally used. Check valve found weeping back into the system but the finding never dated on the building side, so it slips off the follow-up list. Contractor's certified report filed but nothing recorded at the site, so the AHJ can't be shown when the connection was last opened up.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.
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