We recently audited a sprinkler system that had just completed its annual inspection and maintenance.
What we found was… obvious.
One sprinkler head was missing its glass bulb. No specialist knowledge required. If you know what a sprinkler looks like, you know that shouldn’t be the case. The bulb is the heat-sensitive element. No bulb, no activation.
Then it got worse.
With the bulb missing, water should have been flowing. It wasn’t. That raises two uncomfortable possibilities: either the sprinkler head itself was blocked, or the pipework feeding it wasn’t charged. Best case, it’s a defective component. Worst case, it’s a system-level failure.
Only after that did we suspect the sprinkler head itself: a CENTRAL GBR-2, a model that has been historically associated with internal O-ring issues that can cause the plug to seize and prevent activation. In other words, even when intact, it may not operate as intended.
So in one location, we had:
• A missing bulb
• No water flow
• A sprinkler model with known performance concerns
• And a system that had just been “signed off”
This wasn’t hidden. It wasn’t obscure. It was right there.
Which raises a bigger question: how does this happen?
Sometimes the answer is simple. Someone was in a hurry. Someone was under pressure. Someone assumed “that’s close enough”. Or perhaps someone didn’t fully understand the system they were working on.
That last point matters more than many people realise.
Fire protection systems are life-safety systems. They are regulated. And different systems require different qualifications and competencies.
In Victoria, fire sprinkler systems are regulated plumbing systems. Any sprinkler work valued at $750 or more (including GST) must be carried out by a licensed plumbing practitioner, and a Plumbing Compliance Certificate must be issued. That certificate isn’t optional paperwork — it’s confirmation that the work meets regulatory and technical requirements. The Building and Plumbing Commission is undertaking random audits of all certificates so there is a secondary quality check being performed when this happens.
Routine servicing is also regulated. The plumbing regulations explicitly clarify that routine servicing of fire protection systems must be carried out by a person registered or licensed in fire protection work.
And yet, in practice, buildings often assume:
• “They’re a fire contractor, so they must be qualified”
• “They’ve always done it this way”
• “The AESMR was issued, so it must be fine”
The risk isn’t always bad intent. More often it’s a system that:
• Allows under-qualified work to slip through
• Relies on self-audit and self-certification
• Places commercial pressure ahead of technical scrutiny
• Leaves owners holding the compliance responsibility without real assurance
Because ultimately, compliance doesn’t sit with the contractor. It sits with the building owner or owners’ corporation.
For landlords, owners’ corporations and managers, the basics still matter:
• Verify technician qualifications
• Confirm licensing for the specific system being worked on
• Request and retain Plumbing Compliance Certificates where required
• Treat fire system documentation as evidence, not reassurance
None of this is dramatic. It’s practical. And it’s preventative.
The problem with life-safety systems is they don’t give feedback — until the day they’re needed. By then, it’s too late to discover that something was missed, rushed, misunderstood, or quietly signed off.
Independent auditing doesn’t exist because contractors are bad. It exists because systems drift, pressure builds, and assumptions compound.
And every day those assumptions go unchecked is another day closer to finding out the hard way.
If you’re unsure whether your building’s fire systems would stand up to independent scrutiny, we offer targeted compliance audits designed to identify issues before they become incidents.