A pre-incident survey of a building should include the locations of the valves associated with the automatic sprinkler system if there is one. In which position should those valves be kept?

• A. Closed
• B. Partially open
• C. All fully open
• D. Tightly closed

Answer: (C)

A sprinkler system must deliver water to the piping without restriction, so the valves that control water to the system should be kept fully open. When those valves are fully open, water can flow immediately to all parts of the network at the intended pressure, ensuring rapid and complete sprinkling effort if a head is activated. If a valve were closed or only partially open, flow and pressure would be reduced, delaying activation and potentially leaving areas without adequate protection. In a pre-incident survey, you document where these valves are and verify they are in the open position to ensure the system will perform as designed during a fire. Only isolated maintenance situations would require closing them under proper procedures, not as part of normal readiness.