Commissioning

Commissioning (Cx) is a unique partnership between a building owner and the commissioning authority (CxA).  The CxA is an independent, third party who verifies that a building’s systems are installed properly, operate in accordance with the owner’s needs, and are capable of being properly maintained. This quality control process can be applied to any facility in which more than one fire protection or life safety system is installed.

Inappropriate activation of a fire protection or life safety system can disrupt the operations within a facility and damage the building and its contents. Fire protection and life safety system Cx ensures that these systems are designed and installed according to the owner’s needs, function properly, and can be effectively maintained. Integrated testing, a part of fire protection and life safety system Cx, ensures that the sequence of input and output is correct and appropriate for a facility and its use.

Commissioning is not just for new buildings. Existing buildings that have never been commissioned may be “retro-commissioned” to establish a benchmark for the facility. An existing building that has been commissioned before may be” re-commissioned” and compared to the compliance benchmarks established in the original commissioning plan. Retro-commissioning and re-commissioning help to ensure that your systems still function appropriately for your facility’s changing needs and operations.

Fisher Engineering has extensive experience in commissioning both new and existing buildings.  Our principal and senior engineers are active members of the NFPA Technical Committee on Commissioning and Integrated Testing.