SOP #434: Emergency Generator Impairment

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this program is to minimize the risk associated with an impaired life safety power system by establishing procedures to follow when an emergency generator is removed from service due to repair, alteration, or malfunction. Life safety equipment/systems include emergency lighting, exit signage, fire pump power (where applicable), elevator recall power, and any other critical loads connected to the emergency power distribution system.

Policy

This procedure applies to all PFD personnel and PFD vendor and/or contractor personnel who perform generator installation, maintenance, repair, or any other operation that requires impairment of a life safety power system. Any impairment lasting more than four (4) hours must be reported. The project manager, prior to commencement of a project, must notify all contractors of these rules.

Responsibilities

Any person installing, repairing, testing, or performing any other operation which may impair a life safety generator shall be responsible for the initiation and execution of approved impairment and restoration procedures as outlined in this SOP.

Impairment Procedure

1. Minor Impairment: Generator impairments are considered minor when service interruptions, testing, or routine maintenance are limited in duration to less than four (4) hours. For minor impairments, formal reporting to EHSO is not required, though standard departmental safety protocols must still be followed.

2. Emergency Impairment: An emergency impairment occurs when an unexpected event (mechanical failure) interrupts the normal function of the life safety generator for more than one (4) hours. In the event of an emergency impairment, personnel must:

• Isolate the impairment: Secure the unit to prevent accidental start-up or further damage.
• Report the Impairment: Call 9-6111 immediately to report the outage and request an impairment work order be created and assigned to EHSO.
• Provide Details: The report must include:
  1. Detailed reason/description of the failure.
  2. Estimated duration of the outage.
  3. Designated Point Person for communicating status updates.
• Tag Out: Properly tag out the generator at the main breaker and the control panel.
• Mitigation: If the building is occupied and lacks sufficient natural light for egress, a fire/safety watch may be required as determined by EHSO.

3. Planned Impairment A planned impairment is scheduled in advance for improvements, load bank testing, or alterations. All planned impairments lasting over four (4) hours must be submitted through the TMA Work Order System as an "EHSO Impairment Request" at least 48 hours prior to the work.

• When submitting the request begin it with “Request an EHSO work order Task Code SF001”
• The request must include the same details required in an emergency report (Reason, duration, and point person).
• Additional preparation must ensure all materials and backup portable power (if required) are on-site before the unit is taken offline.

4. Improper Impairment An improper impairment occurs when a life safety generator is unknowingly left in the "OFF" position, is out of fuel, or is otherwise disabled by unauthorized personnel. If discovered, call 9-6111 immediately. The same notification and documentation procedures used for an emergency impairment must be followed.

Restoration Procedure

After completing the work, the following steps must be taken to ensure the system is properly restored:

• Return to Automatic: Ensure the generator controller is set to "AUTO" and the main output breaker is closed.
• Clear Tags: Remove all "out-of-service" tags.
• Verification: Confirm the battery charger is operational and no "Common Fault" lights are present on the annunciator.
• Notification: Notify the EHSO office that the system has been restored to full service.
• Work Order Closure: Document all repairs and testing results in the TMA Work Order system.

Custom

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Revision History

• February 2026