Control statement
Employ and maintain fire detection and suppression systems that are supported by an independent energy source.
Discussion
The provision of fire detection and suppression systems applies primarily to organizational facilities that contain concentrations of system resources, including data centers, server rooms, and mainframe computer rooms. Fire detection and suppression systems that may require an independent energy source include sprinkler systems and smoke detectors. An independent energy source is an energy source, such as a microgrid, that is separate, or can be separated, from the energy sources providing power for the other parts of the facility.
From control text to operational evidence
Use Fire Protection as a testable risk decision. Translate the official statement into accountable people, repeatable processes, configured technology, and evidence that demonstrates the outcome over time. In this family, pay particular attention to physical access, facility protection, environmental safeguards, and visitor accountability.
Implementation workflow
- Define the control boundary, responsible owner, inherited portions, and systems or processes in scope.
- Resolve each organization-defined parameter before declaring the control implemented.
- Document how the implementation satisfies every clause of the official control statement.
- Collect evidence as a normal byproduct of operation rather than only before an assessment.
- Review exceptions, changes, and monitoring results on a risk-based cadence.
Evidence examples
- badge and visitor logs
- physical access reviews
- facility diagrams and sensor records
- environmental and power test results
Common failure patterns
- logical security assumptions invalidated by physical access
- tailgating and visitor exceptions normalized
- critical infrastructure not included in access reviews
- environmental alarms not integrated into response
Questions practitioners should ask
- What risk decision is this control intended to support in this system?
- Which parts are implemented locally, inherited, shared, or not applicable—and what evidence supports that decision?
- Do the documented narrative, deployed configuration, operating process, and collected evidence agree?
- What event or threshold requires the implementation to be reviewed or changed?
Assessment objectives and methods
Show the assessment objective
- PE-13[01]fire detection systems are employed;
- PE-13[02]employed fire detection systems are supported by an independent energy source;
- PE-13[03]employed fire detection systems are maintained;
- PE-13[04]fire suppression systems are employed;
- PE-13[05]employed fire suppression systems are supported by an independent energy source;
- PE-13[06]employed fire suppression systems are maintained.
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing fire protection
- fire suppression and detection devices/systems
- fire suppression and detection devices/systems documentation
- test records of fire suppression and detection devices/systems
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for fire detection and suppression devices/systems
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing fire suppression/detection devices/systems
Related controls
These relationships come from the official OSCAL catalog. They indicate useful dependencies or context, not automatic inheritance or equivalence.
Control enhancements
Enhancements add specificity, strength, or scope to the base control. Baseline badges show explicit selections in the official SP 800-53B OSCAL profiles.
PE-13(1) — Detection Systems — Automatic Activation and Notification
Employ fire detection systems that activate automatically and notify [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] and [Organization-defined: emergency responders] in the event of a fire.
Official discussion
Organizations can identify personnel, roles, and emergency responders if individuals on the notification list need to have access authorizations or clearances (e.g., to enter to facilities where access is restricted due to the classification or impact level of information within the facility). Notification mechanisms may require independent energy sources to ensure that the notification capability is not adversely affected by the fire.
Organization-defined parameters (2)
Assessment objectives and methods
- PE-13(01)[01]fire detection systems that activate automatically are employed in the event of a fire;
- PE-13(01)[02]fire detection systems that notify [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] automatically are employed in the event of a fire;
- PE-13(01)[03]fire detection systems that notify [Organization-defined: emergency responders] automatically are employed in the event of a fire.
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing fire protection
- facility housing the information system
- alarm service-level agreements
- test records of fire suppression and detection devices/systems
- fire suppression and detection devices/systems documentation
- alerts/notifications of fire events
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for fire detection and suppression devices/systems
- organizational personnel with responsibilities for notifying appropriate personnel, roles, and emergency responders of fires
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing fire detection devices/systems
- activation of fire detection devices/systems (simulated)
- automated notifications
PE-13(2) — Suppression Systems — Automatic Activation and Notification
- (a)Employ fire suppression systems that activate automatically and notify [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] and [Organization-defined: emergency responders] ; and
- (b)Employ an automatic fire suppression capability when the facility is not staffed on a continuous basis.
Official discussion
Organizations can identify specific personnel, roles, and emergency responders if individuals on the notification list need to have appropriate access authorizations and/or clearances (e.g., to enter to facilities where access is restricted due to the impact level or classification of information within the facility). Notification mechanisms may require independent energy sources to ensure that the notification capability is not adversely affected by the fire.
Organization-defined parameters (2)
Assessment objectives and methods
- PE-13(02)(a)
- PE-13(02)(a)[01]fire suppression systems that activate automatically are employed;
- PE-13(02)(a)[02]fire suppression systems that notify [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] automatically are employed;
- PE-13(02)(a)[03]fire suppression systems that notify [Organization-defined: emergency responders] automatically are employed;
- PE-13(02)(b)an automatic fire suppression capability is employed when the facility is not staffed on a continuous basis.
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing fire protection
- fire suppression and detection devices/systems documentation
- facility housing the system
- alarm service-level agreements
- test records of fire suppression and detection devices/systems
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for fire detection and suppression devices/systems
- organizational personnel with responsibilities for providing automatic notifications of any activation of fire suppression devices/systems to appropriate personnel, roles, and emergency responders
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Automated mechanisms supporting and/or implementing fire suppression devices/systems
- activation of fire suppression devices/systems (simulated)
- automated notifications
PE-13(3) — Automatic Fire Suppression
This enhancement is marked withdrawn in the official OSCAL catalog. Related-control metadata below may identify where its intent was incorporated.
PE-13(4) — Inspections
Ensure that the facility undergoes [Organization-defined: frequency] fire protection inspections by authorized and qualified inspectors and identified deficiencies are resolved within [Organization-defined: time period].
Official discussion
Authorized and qualified personnel within the jurisdiction of the organization include state, county, and city fire inspectors and fire marshals. Organizations provide escorts during inspections in situations where the systems that reside within the facilities contain sensitive information.
Organization-defined parameters (2)
Assessment objectives and methods
- PE-13(04)[01]the facility undergoes fire protection inspections [Organization-defined: frequency] by authorized and qualified inspectors;
- PE-13(04)[02]the identified deficiencies from fire protection inspections are resolved within [Organization-defined: time period].
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing fire protection
- facility housing the system
- inspection plans
- inspection results
- inspect reports
- test records of fire suppression and detection devices/systems
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for planning, approving, and executing fire inspections
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Authoritative sources
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