Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Occupational health and safety policies and procedures may relate to:
assessing work site for hazards and risks prior to preparing it for work procedure
displaying signs and using barriers in work area
employer and employee rights and responsibilities
incident and accident investigation
OHS audits and safety inspections
OHS hierarchy of control
risk assessment and control measures
safe operating procedures and instructions, including:
awareness of electrical hazards
emergency procedures
equipment maintenance and use
first aid
following confined spaces procedures
hazard and risk identification and reporting
use and storage of hazardous substances
using personal protective equipment (PPE), including:
appropriate gloves and overalls
dust masks
earmuffs or plugs
hard hats
safety boots or shoes
safety glasses or goggles
sunhats
those for working safely:
around electrical wiring, cables and overhead powerlines
around tools and equipment
on ladders and raised platforms.
Organisational requirements may include:
documentation and information systems and processes
legal and organisational policies and guidelines, including personnel practices and guidelines outlining work roles, responsibilities and delegations
legislation relevant to inspect and test operations for CIE
OHS policies, procedures and programs
procedures and work instructions to prevent the emission of ODS and SGG in the workplace
use of electronic job scheduling and communication devices.
Maintenance activity may include:
actions to conduct routine maintenance according to AS 1851 Maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment
actions to conduct non-routine maintenance, such as general isolation of a system to allow building works to be completed and subsequent resetting of the system after works completed.
Hazards may include:
environmental, including:
improper use of hazardous material and other chemicals
improper use or emission of ODS and SGG; emissions may be caused by:
conducting interface tests during commissioning, servicing and decommissioning procedures between container activating mechanisms, CIE and fire alarm system
installing and removing container valve assembly, manifold connection components and activating mechanisms
servicing and maintaining container valve assemblies
transporting, storing and manually handling containers containing ODS and SGG agents
ergonomic, such as incorrect manual-handling methods
obstructive, such as blocked access to emergency entry or exit points
any situation with a potential to cause loss
any source of potential harm
equipment in a work site
hazards associated with electrical or mechanical faults
people in a work site
work methods, plans and procedures.
Work permits may include permits to:
enter a work site
enter a work site at specific times
enter a restricted area within a work site
ensure that specific OHS requirements are met before entering a work site.
Relevant persons may include:
building owners or nominated representatives
colleagues
customers
managers
supervisors
team leaders.
System components and materials may include:
colour graphic visual display units (VDUs)
fire indicator panel components
mimic panels
remote indicating equipment, such as:
standby batteries
sub-fire indicator panels
fire detection equipment, such as:
data gathering control units
analogue and analogue addressable smoke, heat and gas detectors
warning system equipment, such as:
alarm bells
mimic and location panels
warning and strobe lights
warning speakers
fire-suppression systems equipment, such as:
actuators, such as pneumatic, electrical, mechanical and manual operation
container discharge valves
fittings, including hose fittings
flexible discharge hoses
pilot and slave tubes
interface equipment to other fire protection and building services systems, such as:
door system release controls
electrical interface relays and contacts
flow switches and pressure switches
optical couplers
utility shutdown devices
solenoid valves and other activating mechanisms
interface communication devices, such as:
remote public address (PA) system outputs
two-way radios
warden intercommunication phones.
Installation drawings may include:
installation drawings that meet the requirements of AS 4214 Gaseous fire extinguishing systems, and AS 1670 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems, parts 1 and 4, including:
‘for construction’ drawings
‘as installed’ and ‘as built’ drawings.
Control and indicating equipment may include:
fire indicating panels (FIP) approved to AS 1603 Automatic fire detection and alarm systems or AS 4428 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems - control and indicating equipment
equipment specifically interfaced to fire-suppression systems:
actuation circuit supervision indicators
alarm operation requirements
discharge time delays
dual zone operations
inhibit discharge switches
inoperative status indicators
shutdown operations
system operation indicators
system warning indications.
Legislative and industry requirements may include:
building surveyor requirements, such as occupancy permits
dangerous goods regulations
environmental regulations, including ODS and SGG legislation, codes and regulations
fire protection industry codes of good practice
licensing arrangements, such as EAHL
manufacturers’ system manuals
OHS legislation, codes and regulations
relevant federal, state and territory building Acts, regulations and codes, such as:
Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989
Building Code of Australia (BCA)
relevant Australian standards, such as:
AS 1603 Automatic fire detection and alarm systems
AS 1670 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems, parts 1 and 4
AS 1851 Maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment
AS 4214 Gaseous fire extinguishing systems
AS 4428 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems - control and indicating equipment
note: Australian standards are frequently revised and users must always check for currency and amendments
other relevant legislation relating to fire protection equipment, including:
international shipping codes
marine codes for different Australian States
requirements of Australian petroleum industry.
Documentation may include:
corrective action reports
customer recommendation forms
equipment recommendation forms
expense claims
job cards
maintenance record system
manufacturers’ system documentation
product documentation
service agreements
service test record logbooks
test results and test reports.
Work procedures may include:
assignment instructions
equipment manufacturers’ requirements
instructions from colleagues, supervisors and managers
ODS, SGG and OHS requirements
PPE requirements
reporting and documentation requirements
specific customer requirements.
Tools, equipment and test devices may include:
hand tools, including:
hammers
pliers
screwdrivers
spanners
spirit levels
fire equipment spare parts, including:
anti-tamper seals
batteries
bulbs and globes
service tags
manual-handling aids, including:
hand trucks
lifting straps
trolleys
power tools, including:
battery powered drills
hammer drills
servicing tools and test devices, including:
barcode readers
electrical multimeters
hydrostatic test equipment
recharging and pressurising equipment
safety equipment
scales
service tag punches
simulator actuators
sound meters.
System interfaces may include:
building management systems
building warning systems
controls for pressurisation systems, air conditioning system shutdowns and smoke spills
operating signals between CIE and building services systems, such as utility shutdown devices.
ODS and SGG extinguishing agents may include:


Note list format:
product name (other names) use

Check the latest amendments to the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act for the current list of ODS and SGG extinguishing agents.
ODS and SGG extinguishing agents commonly used in Australia:
FM200 (FE-227 Heptafluoropropane, HFC-227ea) used as a total flooding extinguishing agent and as a replacement for Halon 1301
Halon 1211 (BCF, Halon 1211 BCF, Bromochlorodifluoromethane) used as a streaming agent - requires a special permit in Australia
Halon 1301 (BTM, Halon 1301 BTM, Bromotrifluoromethane) used as a total flooding agent - requires a special permit in Australia
NAF-P-III (HCFC Blend C) used as a streaming agent
NAF-P-IV (HCFC Blend E) used as a streaming agent
NAF-S-III (HCFC Blend A) used as a total flooding agent
SF6 (Sulfurhexafluoride) used as an inerting agent in sealed high voltage switchgear
ODS and SGG extinguishing agents not commonly used in Australia:
Blitz III (HCFC Blend D) used in flooding systems
CFC-11 (Trichlorofluoromethane) may be found as a propellant in some powder fire extinguishers (this product is banned in Australia but may be found on incoming foreign vessels)
FC-2-1-8 (CEA-308) used in flooding systems
FC-3-1-10 (CEA-410) used in flooding systems
FC-5-1-14 (CEA-614) used as a streaming agent
FE-13 (Trifluoromethane, HFC-23) used as a total flooding agent
FE-241 (Chlorotetrafluoroethane, HCFC-124) used as a total flooding agent for non-occupied spaces and as a streaming agent
FE-25 (Pentafluoroethane, HFC-125) used in inerting and explosion suppression applications
FE-36 (Hexafluoropropane, HFC-236fa) used in portable fire extinguishers - is a replacement for Halon 1211 and Halon 1301
FM100 (HBFC-22B1) used in portable fire extinguishers
Halon 2402 (Dibromotetrafluoroethane) limited use in military systems - requires a special permit in Australia
Halotron I (HCFC Blend B or HCFC-123) used as a total flooding agent and streaming agent
Halotron II (blend of HFC-143a and HFC-125) used as a total flooding agent and as a replacement for Halon 1301
HCFC-22 (Chlorodifluoromethane) used as a propellant in some powder fire extinguishers (this product is banned in Australia but may be found on incoming foreign vessels)
HFC-134a (Unsymmetric tetrafluoroethane) used as a propellant in some powder fire extinguishers.
Actuators (also known as actuation control devices) may include:
electrical operation: signal generated from CIE panel as part of a fire alarm detection system
manual operation: by direct push lever or pull cable system
mechanical operation: via signal from local control station or fire detector
pneumatic operation: from fire detector (typically heat).
Back-to-base facilities include:
monitoring equipment which is connected by alarm signalling equipment (ASE) from CIE to a communication path (telephone line or radio link) to a monitoring centre
monitoring centres can be operated by or on behalf of a fire authority for the purposes of mobilising and directing firefighting resources to the site where the CIE is installed.
Finalised design documentation may include:
documentation that meets the requirements of AS 4214 Gaseous fire extinguishing systems, and AS 1670 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems, parts 1 and4, including:
system concentration and calculations
technical bulletins
material safety data sheets on agents and equipment
manufacturers’ information.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.
Overview of assessment
This unit of competency could be assessed by observation of at least two practical demonstrations of inspecting and testing CIE specifically interfaced to different fire-suppression systems:
conventional fire indicating panels and microprocessor analogue fire indicating panel fire detection systems
fire alarm systems that comply with AS 1670 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems - Fire
emergency warning and intercommunication systems that comply with AS 1670.4 Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems - System design, installation and commissioning - Sound systems and intercom systems for emergency purposes
fire alarm systems interfaced with activating mechanisms of a fire-suppression system.
The type of CIE interfaced to fire-suppression systems tested should correlate to the workplace setting of the candidate.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of the required skills and knowledge specified in this unit.
In particular the person should demonstrate the ability to:
locate, interpret and apply relevant information, standards and specifications
comply with site safety plan, OHS regulations, ODS and SGG regulations (where required), and state and territory legislation applicable to workplace operations
comply with organisational policies and procedures, including quality requirements
communicate and work effectively and safely with others
organise work permits
adhere to safety procedures during inspect and test procedures
identify risk-reduction measures
identify and locate system components and materials
identify, select and use tools, equipment and test equipment
identify and isolate alarm zone circuits, back-to-base facilities, actuators, plant and other system interfaces
confirm that circuits, plant and other system interfaces are isolated
complete mandatory and optional test and verification requirements applicable to installed fire-suppression systems
perform test procedures on CIE interfaced to fire-suppression systems
visually inspect fire-suppression systems
identify and report non-compliance defects
develop recommendations to rectify defects
reset CIE and fire-suppression system to operational state without unwanted CIE outputs or alarms
complete workplace housekeeping requirements
complete records and documentation.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge may be conducted in an off-site context. It is to comply with relevant regulatory or Australian standards’ requirements.
Resource implications for assessment include:
access to customer premises or a simulated workplace environment
assessment documentation
necessary tools, specialist equipment, manuals and relevant documentation
training and assessment record books.
Method of assessment
Assessment methods must:
satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Property Services Training Package
include direct observation of tasks in real or simulated work conditions, with questioning to confirm the ability to consistently identify and correctly interpret the essential underpinning knowledge required for practical application
reinforce the integration of employability skills with workplace tasks and job roles
confirm that competency is verified and able to be transferred to other circumstances and environments.
Guidance information for assessment
Reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities must be made to assessment processes where required. This could include access to modified equipment and other physical resources, and the provision of appropriate assessment support.
Assessment processes and techniques should as far as is practical take into account the language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate in relation to the competency being assessed.
This unit could be assessed on its own or in combination with other units relevant to the job function.