A fire fighting pump is a vital piece of equipment that must work reliably when required, even in the event of an emergency. Establishing a regular inspection, testing and maintenance program is important to ensure that the pump will be ready to operate in an emergency.

Fire pumps are used in buildings and structures to supply water for fire suppression systems. They can be electrical, diesel or gas-powered and have an independent power source, such as a battery, so they will continue to operate even if the primary power source is interrupted by fire or disaster.

When selecting a fire fighting pump, it’s important to consult with the design engineer and fire safety professional in order to ensure that all the requirements as specified by NFPA and Local Authority Having Jurisdiction are met. For example, the fire pump must be able to produce the required head and flow at the desired operating pressure of a given sprinkler system. This is based on the sprinkler demand calculated from the hydraulic load table of NFPA.

In addition, a firefighting pump must be able to quickly ramp up to full operation after a prolonged shutdown. It’s also important that the driver of the fire pump is sized based on its ability to handle the power consumption at the required duty point. This is done by selecting the drive size based on the end of the power curve or at the NPSH value at which the pump will achieve maximum head at a particular flow rate.