Call this number first
Call 780.760.0806 if a sprinkler is flowing without a fire, a pipe has frozen or split, a fire alarm panel is dead or stuck in trouble, or a system has been shut off and nobody has a plan for the building. That's our 24/7 emergency line. If there's a fire, smoke or a burning smell, get everyone out and call 911 first. Then call us.
We won't put a response time on a web page. What speeds a call up is having the right details at hand, and step 4 below lists them.
What counts as an emergency
Anything that leaves part of the building unprotected, or is damaging it, counts. So call for:
- water flowing from a head or pipe with no fire;
- a sprinkler system that has operated;
- a frozen or split pipe, or a heating failure in a space with wet pipe;
- a fire alarm panel that's dead, or a trouble signal that won't clear;
- a valve that's shut, or any shutdown nobody has a plan for;
- a deficiency that affects a system's operation or coverage. EFRS wants those reported within 24 hours and says they may require emergency repairs or a fire watch.
A deficiency from last month's report that doesn't touch operation or coverage can be booked as a visit. If you can't tell which one you've got, call. We'd rather tell you it can wait than hear about it after the water reaches the second floor.
The first 15 minutes
- Fire first. If there's a fire, everyone out and 911. If sprinklers are flowing because of it, leave the control valve to the fire department.
- Put someone at the entrance to meet the fire department and hand over keys and the panel location.
- Find the alarm panel and note what it says. Don't reset it until somebody knows why it went off.
- Call 780.760.0806. Give the address, what you can see, whether the system is wet, dry or an alarm panel if you know, where the riser room is, and who on site can approve a shutdown.
- If water is flowing with no fire, decide about the valve with a plan and not a reflex (see the warning below).
- Stay clear of wet electrical gear. Move stock out of the water's path if you can do it safely.
- Write down times, and take photos. Your insurer will ask.
Freeze-ups
Edmonton's January design temperatures are -30 C at 2.5% and -33 C at 1% (record lows go lower, but design values aren't record lows). A wet system in an unheated corner is a freeze-up waiting to happen: a loading dock with a door left open, a failed unit heater, a vestibule, a parkade ramp. NBC(AE) 2023 (3.2.5.17) requires fire protection equipment in unheated areas to be protected from freezing.
A pipe can freeze without leaking. The split often shows itself on the thaw, which is when the call comes in. So the order goes: get heat back into the space, find the split, isolate that section, repair it, refill, bleed the air and test. Don't thaw with an open flame.
Dry systems fail differently. Water pools at low points, and a valve room that loses heat can freeze the valve itself. That's why NFPA 25 has dry-system valve room temperature checks in cold weather. We cover the wet-versus-dry trade-off in wet vs dry sprinklers in Alberta winters.
Accidental discharge and damaged heads
A sprinkler head that's knocked off by a forklift mast, a ladder or a sloppy ceiling job flows until someone shuts the supply. It doesn't matter that there's no fire. The repair sequence:
- Close the control valve for that zone (an impairment, so see above).
- Replace the head with the same type, temperature rating and K-factor. A mismatched head changes what the system delivers.
- Refill, bleed the air, open the valve fully and secure it.
- Confirm gauge readings and that alarms still work.
- Restore, tell the same people you told at shutdown, and record it.
NFPA 25 expects a stock of spare heads kept at the building, so a stocked spares cabinet by the riser saves a wait for parts. And painted heads get replaced, not cleaned. Manufacturers insist.
Fire alarm troubles and false alarms
Troubles come from the boring things: a battery at end of life, a ground fault, an open circuit, a lost link to the monitoring company. False alarms come from dust after a renovation, steam, and cooking. Neither is fixed by silencing the panel and forgetting it.
If a fire alarm or part of it is inoperative for more than 2 hours for any reason, the owner must notify the fire department and, when directed, provide acceptable continuous surveillance until it's restored. There has to be a procedure to warn occupants meanwhile, and the note to the code says the agreed measures belong in the fire safety plan (Division C, 2.2.7.2). Who works on it matters too. Making an alarm system operational, testing it and signing documentation takes a post-secondary certificate or a current CFAA Fire Alarm Technician certification (Division C, 2.2.4.3). Ask who's coming and what they hold.
More on how alarm systems work is on the fire alarm systems page.
Impairments and fire watch
The fire code doesn't let a system go quiet without a plan. It requires a notification procedure for tests, repairs and alterations (Division B, 6.1.1.3), and alternative measures whenever any part is shut down. Even routine testing counts as a temporary shutdown (6.1.1.4). For sprinklers the code's note lists emergency hose lines, portable extinguishers, extra fire watch and, where practicable, temporary water connections.
A sprinkler impairment also falls under NFPA 25, Chapter 15. As NFPA's staff describe it, the owner assigns an impairment coordinator who authorizes planned shutdowns, tags go on the control valve and fire department connection, and the fire department, insurer and alarm company are told. If the system is out for more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period, you need at least one of these: evacuating the area, an approved fire watch, temporary water, or an approved program to eliminate ignition sources and limit fuel.
Fire watch turns up in several places in the code, and they're different jobs:
- hot work outside a noncombustible area: continuous during the work and for at least 60 minutes afterward, with a final inspection 4 hours after completion (Division B, 5.2.3);
- demolition sites while part of the building is occupied, and occupied construction with no fire alarm: tours at intervals of no more than 1 hour (5.6.1.14);
- impairments, where the alternative measures come from the fire department, the NFPA 25 program and your insurer.
We couldn't find a published Edmonton rule on patrol intervals for an impairment watch, or on who may stand it. Agree it with EFRS Fire Prevention before a planned shutdown. Fire watch is part of our emergency service, so tell us how long the system will be down when you call.
Restoring service and the paperwork
Restoring service isn't done when the water comes back. Test what was touched, confirm every valve is open and secured, take the tags off, and tell the same people you told at the start: the fire department, the monitoring company, your insurer and the building owner. Keep the record.
Edmonton adds a reporting layer. EFRS wants deficiencies that affect a system's operation or coverage reported within 24 hours. Since September 8, 2026, third-party inspection, testing and maintenance reports go through the Life Safety Inspection Vault (LIV), and EFRS expects them within 14 days of the inspection. The City's own pages disagree on whether every report must go in, so the safe reading is that deficient reports must go through LIV and EFRS recommends uploading all of them. Our LIV explainer goes through what that means for owners.
If an owner won't or can't fix a defective system, the code requires the person maintaining it to tell the fire department and the owner in writing (Division C, 2.2.7.2(4)). Hydrants have their own rule. Anyone shutting down or impairing one has to make sure the fire department is notified and approves, and that the hydrant is marked in a way it accepts (2.2.7.2(5)).
The fire system inspections page covers the report side, and the fire sprinkler systems page explains the equipment we're repairing. If a shutdown or a deficiency is turning into an order, that's fire code consulting territory, and the Alberta fire code compliance guide explains who enforces what.
Cheaper to find on a Tuesday
Most of what's above shows up in advance: a valve room with no heat, a corroded head, a battery near the end of its life. Finding one during an annual visit costs a visit. Finding it at 2 a.m. costs the repair plus whatever the water reached.
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer 24/7 emergency sprinkler repair in Edmonton?
Yes. Call 780.760.0806 at any hour. Have the address, what you can see, the system type if you know it, and the name of someone on site who can approve a shutdown. We don't publish response times.
Should I turn off the sprinklers if a head is leaking?
If there's a fire, leave the valve to the fire department. If there's no fire, closing the control valve stops the leak but also takes the system out of service, which is an impairment. Do it only with a plan: tag the valve, notify the fire department, and start alternative measures (NFC(AE) 2023 Division B, 6.1.1.4).
How long can a fire alarm be out of service in Alberta?
More than 2 hours for any reason means the owner must notify the fire department and, when directed, provide acceptable continuous surveillance until it's restored (NFC(AE) 2023 Division C, 2.2.7.2). Under that limit, alternative measures still apply.
What is a fire watch, and when is one required in Alberta?
It's a person assigned to patrol and to raise the alarm. The NFC(AE) requires one for hot work outside a noncombustible area, for demolition and some occupied construction, and NFPA 25 Chapter 15 lists one for long sprinkler impairments. Edmonton's patrol interval for impairments isn't published in anything we found, so confirm with EFRS.
Who has to be told when a sprinkler system is shut down?
Under NFPA 25, Chapter 15, the fire department, insurer, alarm company, owner and area supervisors. The code separately requires a notification procedure acceptable to the fire department for repairs and alterations (Division C, 2.2.7.2(1)).
Do emergency repairs have to be reported to the City?
Deficiencies affecting a system's operation or coverage should be reported to EFRS within 24 hours. Third-party ITM reports go through LIV. Deficient reports must, and EFRS recommends uploading all of them.
Related reading
- Fire watch requirements in Alberta and when you need one. Alberta's fire code names fire watch in a few specific places, and none of them is a blanket rule.
- Sprinkler system out of service, an owner's impairment checklist. A working checklist for planned and emergency sprinkler impairments in Alberta, built on NFPA 25 Chapter 15 and NFC(AE) 2023 notification rules.
- How to winterize sprinkler and alarm systems in Edmonton. An October checklist for Edmonton building owners covering unheated spaces, dry valve rooms, heat trace, backflow assemblies, pump rooms, hydrants and alarm batteries, with the checks you can do yourself.
Sources
- National Fire Code 2023 Alberta Edition, National Research Council Canada
- Fire codes and standards, Government of Alberta
- Fire Marshal Bulletin on fire alarm reporting, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services
- Fire Inspection Report Submission, City of Edmonton
- Impairment Procedures for Sprinkler Systems That Are Out of Order, NFPA