Commissioning is not the final step of installation it is a separate engineering task. Installation means "equipment was put in place"; commissioning means "the system operates as designed". The difference becomes apparent at the building occupancy permit stage and in a real fire event.
We provide commissioning, function and acceptance testing, integration verification, personnel training, and handover documentation services for newly constructed, rebranded, or comprehensively revised fire detection and suppression systems.
What Does Commissioning Cover?
The Ministry's regulatory guideline explicitly lists the subjects to be inspected by the relevant authority at the building use permit stage. Our commissioning work follows the same framework as these subjects:
- Whether fire detection systems and the devices, cables, and equipment used in these systems comply with regulations and are in active working condition
- Whether fire suppression systems are installed according to the project and regulations, and are in proper working condition, whether pump groups are of the correct type in accordance with regulatory provisions and are in working condition or not
- Whether smoke control systems are installed in compliance with regulations and are in working condition
- Emergency elevators operating in compliance with regulations during fire
- Suitability of evacuation, escape routes, and fire stairs
Stages
1. Inspection before and during installation
The cheapest correction is made while cable is being run. Cable type, routing, fire-resistant cable requirement for specific circuits, loop configuration, and conduit installation are monitored in the field. When this stage is skipped, errors that arise (wrong cable, missing insulator, incorrectly sloped circuit) are found not during commissioning but after the walls are closed.
2. Device-based function tests
Every detector, button, siren, flow switch, valve position switch, and module is triggered individually; it is verified that it appears on the panel with the correct address and correct location name. A mislabeled device sends the emergency team to the wrong location in the building during a fire.
3. System and integration tests
This is the most valuable part of commissioning and the most frequently skipped part. The alarm scenario is run from start to finish to test: damper closure, pressurization and smoke evacuation fan activation, elevator descent to evacuation floor, release of magnetic door holders, turnstile release, public address system activation, gas suppression triggering sequence, and fire brigade notification.
4. Mechanical system tests
Automatic activation pressures on pump groups are measured, flow-measured performance testing is performed, diesel engine is run under load. On the sprinkler side, alarm valve and flow switch are tested with actual flow; pressure and flow rate are measured at the most disadvantaged point in hydrants and fire cabinets.
5. Handover and training
- As-built project and current device/address list
- Test records and measurement values
- System operating manual and steps to be followed in case of alarm
- Training for building personnel on panel operation, silencing, resetting, and fault reading
- Recommendation for periodic maintenance program
The Ministry guideline requires that documents relating to inspection, maintenance, and testing be kept in a secure location for presentation in an emergency. The handover file is the starting point of this obligation.
Legal Basis for This Maintenance
Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY) maintenance of fire safety systems is defined not as an optional improvement, but as an obligation incumbent upon the building owner and administrator defines it as follows:
- Article 84 — Emergency lighting, signage, and fire detection and alarm systems shall be subject to periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance as required by the system specified in the applicable standards, under the responsibility of the building owner and administrator or the building official to whom they have delegated responsibilities in writing.
- Article 100 — Fire suppression systems shall be subject to periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance as required by the system specified in the applicable standards, under the responsibility of the building owner, administrator, or the building official to whom they have delegated responsibilities in writing is a requirementA zone monitoring module connects an entire conventional detector line to the addressable loop. Critical areas are renewed with addressable devices while secondary zones continue to operate with their existing wiring. This provides significant cost advantage in capacity upgrade and renovation projects.
The common aspect of both articles is this: the regulation does not prescribe the period itself, but refers it to the standard the system is subject to. In other words, maintenance frequency is set not by the regulation but by the standard the system was designed to (TS EN 12845 for sprinklers, the TS EN 54 series for detection, TS ISO 14520 for gas systems) and by the manufacturer's own manual. A specification that says "the regulation requires this frequency" is built on the wrong basis.
The Ministry's regulation guide explicitly requires retention of these records: information, documents, and records related to inspections, maintenance, and tests must be kept in a secure place by the building owner, administrator, or responsible party for submission to relevant authorities in any emergency. Maintenance being performed is not enough; it must be documented that it was performed.
Related Pages
- Fire system maintenance — periodic program after commissioning
- Periodic inspection forms and specifications
To Set Up Your Maintenance Program
One contract, a solution for everything: we provide end-to-end maintenance to fire detection, gas suppression, sprinkler, hydrant, and pump units in their entirety; if you wish, maintenance of camera (CCTV) systems can also be added to the same contract.
If you do not have the brand, age, and last maintenance record of the existing system on hand, that is not a problem; the first step is anyway inventory and current condition assessment. Setting up an annual program without seeing what is there in the field means selling maintenance for a system that does not exist.
You can examine your system brand's product equivalents in our product catalog ; for requirements specific to your facility's use class, you can visit our sectoral solutions pages.
For survey and quotation you can or send your plan through our write or directly You can call call the number. Survey is free within Ankara; for facilities throughout Turkey, the visit plan is established jointly before contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between commissioning and installation?
Installation is the placement and connection of devices. Commissioning is proving that the system operates as designed through testing: each device triggering, appearing correctly on the panel, and all actions that should trigger the alarm actually occurring. These are two separate tasks.
What tests are required for the building occupancy permit?
The Ministry guideline requires verification at the building occupancy permit stage that fire detection systems are in active working order, suppression systems are installed in accordance with the design and regulations, pump groups are of the appropriate type and in working condition, and smoke control systems and emergency elevators operate in compliance with regulations.
We changed the brand in our existing system, is recommissioning required?
Yes. Panel, detector type or module changes affect the loop structure and integration behavior. After the change, device-level tests and especially the integration scenario must be rerun; otherwise, a previously functioning trigger chain may have silently broken.