* Note that the 2016 edition of NFPA 20 changed the 4-hour to 10-hours of continuous outage * When do you need backup power for an electric fire pump? The simple answer is when the power is "reliable". Of course the word reliable means a lot of different things to different people. Interestingly, NFPA 20 did not define reliable power until the 2007. Thankfully the committee did agree on the following language: NFPA 20-2010 A.9.3.2 A reliable power source possesses the following characteristics: (1) The source power plant has not experienced any shutdowns longer than 4 continuous hours in the year prior to plan submittal . NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, requires special undertakings (i.e., fire watches) when a water-based fire protection system is taken out of service for longer than 4 hours. If the normal source power plant has been intentionally shut down for longer than 4 hours in the past, it i
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