RIPCI

What it asks of a residence

Annex II sets two levels of maintenance. The operations in Table I, every three and six months, can be done by the holder's own staff or by a maintenance company; those in Table II, yearly and every five years, only by the manufacturer or an authorised maintenance company. Records are kept for at least five years (Article 21). The maintenance company has to tell the holder when the periodic operations are due and, on each extinguisher, attach a label with the date of the operation and of the next check (Article 17). The systems it covers also include fixed extinguishing systems in commercial kitchens.

Inspection is separate: at least every ten years, an accredited inspection body, an OCA, inspects the installation (Article 22). The regulation exempts, among others, residential housing use and educational use under 2,000 square metres, as long as there are no high special-risk areas or storage areas; public residential use is not on that list. The building's licence says which use it has. How this fits with evacuation is covered under self-protection plan.