Start with the write-up
Most sprinkler repairs start with a list. In Burbank, that list can come from the Burbank Fire Department, whose Fire Prevention Bureau inspects fire sprinkler systems and also runs routine fire and life safety inspections of commercial properties. It can also come from your last service report. Either way, send it to us. We read each item and tell you what the fix is before anyone opens a valve.
Keep the notice. If it gives a deadline or asks for proof of correction, check with the Fire Prevention Bureau what they want to see before you close it out. The city runs its own fire department. The county is not the office to call.
What breaks in a restaurant system
Kitchens are hard on sprinklers. Heat, grease vapor, wash-downs, remodels and carts loaded with stock all wear on heads and piping, and the damage is usually easy to spot once you know what to look for. These are the common repairs:
- Grease-loaded heads. A head coated in grease may not open on time. The usual fix is a new head of the same type and temperature rating.
- Painted heads. Paint from a remodel can seal the bulb or link. Replace them. Don't scrape them.
- Bent or struck heads. Ladders, shelving and deliveries hit low heads in storage rooms and back hallways.
- Corrosion. Crusty heads and fittings near dish areas and coolers get replaced.
- Leaks. A drip at a fitting rarely stops on its own.
- Old heads. Under NFPA 25, heads in service for 50 years must be replaced or sample-tested.
One thing this page doesn't cover: the hood. The wet chemical system over your cooking line is a separate system with its own semi-annual inspection under NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A, and that work is on our Burbank kitchen fire suppression service page. Your Class K extinguisher goes with it.
How a repair visit goes
The technician confirms each item on site first. Then they match the new head to the old one: type, orientation, temperature rating and response. If the work needs the water off, part of the system stays out of service until it's refilled and checked for leaks, so book the visit for hours when the kitchen is closed or slow. Tell your staff. Before we leave, the system goes back in service.
After the repair
A repaired system still needs routine service. NFPA 25 calls for quarterly and annual inspections, plus a five-year internal pipe assessment and gauge replacement or testing, and California's Title 19 adds a five-year service and certification that must be done by a State Fire Marshal licensed contractor. For the inspection visit, see restaurant sprinkler inspections in Burbank. For the full maintenance schedule, see Burbank fire sprinkler service.
Who may do the work
Our California work is done by Hedrick Fire Protection. Hedrick holds C-16 (fire protection) and C-10 (electrical) contractor licenses and is licensed by the California State Fire Marshal under Title 19 for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems.
Reaching us from Burbank
Burbank is in our service area. That includes Downtown Burbank along San Fernando Boulevard, Magnolia Park, the Media District and the rest of the city's ZIP codes from 91501 to 91526. Call (213) 568-0188 or email socal@1profire.com with your deficiency list and the address. Photos help.
Outside the city? See restaurant sprinkler repair in Los Angeles County or restaurant sprinkler repair in Orange County. Other local services are on our Burbank fire protection page.
Burbank restaurant sprinkler repair questions
Can a technician come out same day?
Call with the address and your deficiency list. We'll tell you the earliest visit we can book.
Can I clean a greasy or painted head myself?
No. Scraping or solvents can damage the part that makes the head open, and the usual fix for a loaded or painted head is a new one with the same rating.
Is the hood system part of a sprinkler repair?
No. It's a separate wet chemical system with its own six-month service.
I got a fire department notice, but nobody inspected inside. Is it real?
It may be. The Burbank Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau runs routine inspections of commercial properties, so if you doubt a notice, call the Bureau using the contact details on the City of Burbank website before you pay anyone.