How often should a contractor registered with the Texas State Fire Marshal come into the facility to test, inspect, and maintain the fire alarm system?

• A. Biannually
• B. Every 3 months
• C. Weekly
• D. Yearly

Answer: (B)

Regular testing, inspection, and maintenance by a qualified contractor is essential to keep a fire alarm system functioning and compliant. In Texas, the state requires that a contractor registered with the State Fire Marshal perform this testing at least every three months. This quarterly cadence ensures all parts of the system—control panel, detectors, initiating devices, notification appliances, power supply and battery backup, wiring, and supervision—are checked and kept up to date. Doing inspections more frequently than quarterly would be unnecessary for a full system, while less frequent inspections could allow issues to go unnoticed and compromise life-safety and compliance.