A typical sequence, hour by hour

Exact steps depend on your building's fire protection system and the rules your fire protection contractor and local fire officials apply. Use this as a frame, not a procedure.

First minutes
Alarm activates and water flows. Occupants move away from the area. The engineer or security confirms the cause: struck head, freeze, or actual fire.
Shortly after
With no fire present, the affected zone is shut down following the building's impairment procedure. Many buildings must notify the fire department or monitoring company when a system is out of service.
While the zone is off
A fire watch or other interim protection is often required. Ask your fire protection contractor and the Denver Fire Department's fire prevention staff what applies to your building.
First few hours
Standing water is extracted on the source floor, floors below are walked, ceiling tiles are pulled where wet, and electrical areas are checked.
Same day
The sprinkler contractor replaces the head, refills and tests the zone, and the system is returned to service. Notifications are closed out.
Days that follow
Structural drying, daily moisture readings, and decisions about which finishes can be dried and which must come out.

What the building team should capture before cleanup

  • Time the flow alarm activated and when the zone was shut.
  • Photos of the failed head and anything that struck it, such as a ladder, furniture or a moving cart.
  • Who was working near the head, including any tenant mover or contractor, with their company name for later claims.
  • Video of the discharge area before extraction starts.
  • A list of every suite and common area that received water, floor by floor.
  • The replaced sprinkler head itself, bagged and labeled, if your insurer or the carrier for another party may want to inspect it.

Why sprinkler water is a different problem

Sprinkler piping often holds water that has been sitting in the system for years. It can be discolored, carry rust and scale, and in some systems contain antifreeze or corrosion inhibitors. That water may not be treated the same as a clean supply-line release, so ask the mitigation contractor how they classify it and how that affects which materials are cleaned versus removed.

Discharge also tends to be fast and wide. A single head can wet a large open floor and quickly find risers, stair landings and the slab edge. Getting extraction going early on the source floor reduces how much water drops to tenants below.

Finally, someone else may be responsible. Heads are often struck during tenant moves, buildouts or furniture installs. Preserving evidence and contact details lets the owner's carrier pursue recovery from the party responsible, which is easier when the facts are written down the same day.

Questions to ask the fire protection and mitigation contractors

  1. What water category do you assign to this discharge, and why?
  2. Is a fire watch required while the zone is impaired, and who will staff it?
  3. Which other heads in the area should be inspected for damage?
  4. Will you document affected areas suite by suite for the owner and each tenant's insurer?
  5. When will the system be fully back in service, and who signs off?

General information for Downtown Denver, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.