Fire Pump Manufacturer
For more than a century, Fairbanks Morse has designed and manufactured a full range of fire pumps for public works and industrial installations. Its broad selection of FM-Approved and UL Listed fire pumps (both electric motor driven and diesel engine powered) includes horizontal split case, one- and two-stage between bearings, mixed flow and axial-flow propeller pumps. Other products include dry pit solids-handling and submersible recessed impeller, line shaft turbine, vertical inline and end suction, and domestic jet and well pumps.
In a typical fire system, the fire pumps are the heart of the fire suppression process, delivering water to the fire sprinklers to suppress the fire. This water is usually a mixture of water and firefighting foam. The decision of what type of fire pump to use in any facility should be based on a comprehensive discussion with the facility’s design engineer and/or a fire safety professional, and with the Local Authority Having Jurisdiction.
Once the decision is made to use a specific fire pump, all parties involved must ensure that the pump is installed and maintained properly to avoid any potential issues with code compliance. In the United States, the use of a fire pump is governed by NFPA 20 and inspected per NFPA 25 “Inspection and Testing of Fire Protection Systems.”
Many of the fire pumps are custom configured to meet the specific needs of the project application. The configuration can include the choice of pumps, drives, controls, base plates and other ancillary components. In addition, the materials of construction can vary based on the project needs. For example, chemical process and slurry pumps are frequently assembled-to-order using a combination of stocked or special materials.
Engineering submittals and approvals typically represent a significant portion of the overall lead time for engineered-to-order fire pumps. This is especially true for larger orders. Several factors can contribute to this including the size of the order, the need for special engineering development or analyses, lead time for casting of special material parts, new welding procedure specifications, inspection hold points, performance testing requirements and so on.
One of the most important things that a customer can do to shorten the lead time on a fire pump is to submit the general arrangement outline drawings for review as soon as possible. Often there are deadlines and partial payment associated with this activity, so both the manufacturer and the customer’s engineer are eager to complete the submittals.
Typically, the lead time for fire pumps can also be significantly lengthened by the complexities and delays associated with the review and approval of the CAD drawings and the subsequent review and approval of the final design. This can include a kick-off meeting, design reviews, multiple revisions, engineering submittals and approval turnarounds, etc. This can be frustrating for everyone involved and should be avoided where possible. fire pump Manufacturer