The Colorado Springs Fire Department, Fire Construction Services Office, will provide plan review and inspection services for all school projects within the City limits of Colorado Springs in accordance with House Bill 09-1151. Projects of interest include any new buildings, modular classrooms and accessory structures, additions to or remodels of existing structures, and any work performed on fire protection systems.

Site Plan:

The site plan must be submitted for review and include the address, boundaries, existing and proposed structures and/or additions, parking lots, fenced areas, fire hydrants with modeled fire flow information provided by Colorado Springs Utilities, fire equipment access, water supply and topographical map. We will review this site plan specifically for fire flow and hydrant placement in accordance with the fire code and for fire department access conforming to the requirements of CSFD guidelines and the fire code.

Construction:

The construction plans reviewed by the building department will be forwarded to CSFD for review of applicable fire and life safety elements to include fire protection, hazardous materials use and/or storage and high piled storage. We will not approve the construction plans until the site and/or applicable water plans have been reviewed and approved. CSFD approval of the construction plans will be required for the issuance of a building permit. A Knox Box, if required, is to be ordered through Construction Services, 719-385-7352 or FireConstructionServices@coloradosprings.gov .

Deferred Submittals:

Fire protection systems such as fire alarm, fire sprinkler and fixed fire suppression systems are generally reviewed as a deferred submittal. CSFD has specific submittal criteria which can be found in our Fire Protection Systems Information Guidance Document. All work performed on fire protection systems must be conducted by locally licensed contractors.

Inspections:

CSFD will witness acceptance testing and perform inspections on the following items:

  • Site Inspection – To confirm adequate emergency vehicle access, fire lane signs and Knox brand locking equipment.
  • Fire Hydrants – Witness flow test of private fire hydrants, or review test reports provided on public fire hydrants.
  • Fire Sprinklers – Rough-in pipe inspection, witness hydrostatic test, witness fire pump test if applicable and perform final walk through.
  • Fire Alarm – Witness 100% of all devices to include smoke detectors, manual pull stations, notification appliances, control equipment, fire suppression system supervision, and off site monitoring service.
  • Hazardous Materials and High Piled Storage inspections where applicable
  • Construction Final – Includes fire extinguisher placement, exiting components, and general fire and life safety elements.

All CSFD inspections must be conducted and approved prior to final inspections and Certificate of Occupancy issuance by the building department.