What does this fire department connection (fdc) quarterly checklist cover?

13 items across 4 sections, covering inlets and caps, signage and identification, access and approach, report. 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 building or facilities person walking to each FDC on the quarterly round, checking the inlets, caps and signage and the clear path to them from the street.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter, and after any landscaping, paving or parking change near the connection, since a blocked or capless FDC is only discovered by the crew that needs it.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

7 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 9 photos in all. 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) quarterly inspection?

Caps or breakables missing and the inlet full of trash, rocks or a nest, so a hose can't couple and the crew loses time clearing it. Landscaping, snow storage, parking or a dumpster grown up in front of the FDC so the responding crew can't reach it. Identification sign faded or gone, so nobody can tell which system the connection feeds under pressure of a call.

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.

Free checklist

Fire department connection (FDC) quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly fire department connection round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 13, NFPA 25. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Inlets and caps

Caps present and inlet threads and swivels sound
Cap, plug or breakable on each inlet, swivels turning by hand, threads clean and undamaged so a hose couples cleanly, no debris packed in the inlet.
Clapper and drainage at the inlet observed
Inlet clappers swinging free and seating, no standing water suggesting the automatic drip is plugged, body and swivels free of corrosion.
Caps secured as their type requires
Breakable caps whole and uncracked, locking caps locked with the key holder known, threaded plugs snug with chains attached, any cap that fails its type reported.
No photo
FDC body and inlet escutcheon free of impact damage
Body, inlet flanges, escutcheon plate and wall or post mounting checked for vehicle or mower damage, cracks, bent inlets or a loose fitting at the wall.
FDC piping to the check valve dry and supported where exposed
Where the line runs exposed, piping from the wall to the check valve free of leaks, corrosion and impact damage, hangers secure, and any exposure to freezing noted.
No photo

Signage and identification

Identification sign present and legible
Sign at the FDC naming the system it serves legible and secured, matching what actually feeds behind it, not painted over.
Required inlet pressure sign legible where posted
Where the design needs a pumping pressure posted at the FDC, the sign readable and agreeing with the hydraulic placard or design record, not faded or missing.
No photo
Locator sign or marking visible from the fire lane
Where the FDC is set back or out of sight, the locator sign or marking the local fire department asked for present and readable from the apparatus position.
No photo

Access and approach

FDC visible and unobstructed from the street side
Approach clear of landscaping, parking, stored material and snow, the connection visible from where a crew would stage, nothing chained or built across it.
Working clearance around the inlets kept open
Space around the inlets clear to the local fire department's or AHJ's requirement, no post, shrub, fence or wall close enough to stop a coupling or spanner turning.
Hose route from the fire lane and hydrant clear
Fire lane striping and no-parking signs still in place, and the hose lay from the nearest hydrant to the FDC not cut off by new fencing, gates, curbs or grade changes.

Report

Missing caps and damage reported to the owner
Missing or broken caps, damage, faded signs and blocked approaches reported to the owner before leaving, with the follow-up entered on the site record.
No photo
Fire department told if the FDC can't be used
An FDC that is blocked, damaged or leaking back handled under the owner's impairment procedure, the local fire department and monitoring company told, calls logged.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Caps or breakables missing and the inlet full of trash, rocks or a nest, so a hose can't couple and the crew loses time clearing it.
Landscaping, snow storage, parking or a dumpster grown up in front of the FDC so the responding crew can't reach it.
Identification sign faded or gone, so nobody can tell which system the connection feeds under pressure of a call.

Verified against

Common questions

6 answers

What does this fire department connection (fdc) quarterly checklist cover?: 13 items across 4 sections, covering inlets and caps, signage and identification, access and approach, report. 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 building or facilities person walking to each FDC on the quarterly round, checking the inlets, caps and signage and the clear path to them from the street.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter, and after any landscaping, paving or parking change near the connection, since a blocked or capless FDC is only discovered by the crew that needs it.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 7 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 9 photos in all. 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) quarterly inspection?: Caps or breakables missing and the inlet full of trash, rocks or a nest, so a hose can't couple and the crew loses time clearing it. Landscaping, snow storage, parking or a dumpster grown up in front of the FDC so the responding crew can't reach it. Identification sign faded or gone, so nobody can tell which system the connection feeds under pressure of a call.
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.

Related checklists

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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 9 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.