How jockey pumps and main fire pumps work together, which fire pump type and driver to choose, what listing and NFPA 25 testing involve, and the UAE and Saudi approval routes.
A jockey pump is the small pressure maintenance pump that sits beside the main fire pump and keeps the sprinkler and hydrant piping topped up to pressure, so the main pump only starts when water is really drawn: a sprinkler opens or a hose is used. The fire pump itself, electric or diesel, is a listed pump installed to NFPA 20. ListGCC's fire fighting equipment suppliers in the UAE include makers and packagers of complete fire pump sets.
This guide is for fire protection contractors, MEP consultants, facility managers and buyers specifying or maintaining a fire pump set. Our guide to water pumps in the UAE and Saudi Arabia covers general water pumps and explains why a building booster is not a fire pump; here we cover only the fire duty: pump types, drivers, the jockey pump's job, controllers, testing and the approval route in each country.
NFPA describes fire pumps as an essential part of many water-based fire protection systems, used to raise the pressure of a water source when that source is not adequate for the system it supplies. They are common in buildings with high pressure demand, such as high-rises and storage warehouses. The governing standard is NFPA 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection, whose current edition is 2025. NFPA summarises its purpose as providing requirements for the selection and installation of pumps so that systems deliver adequate and reliable water supplies in a fire emergency. Inspection, testing and maintenance afterwards falls under NFPA 25.
As NFPA's inspection checklists show, a fire pump installation includes the main pump and its driver, a controller (with a transfer switch where there is a second power source), a pressure maintenance (jockey) pump, relief valves and test valves. The water supply (a fire tank or a reliable main) and the fire protection system design come first; the pump is sized to the system demand the designer calculates.
NFPA's own inspection guidance calls it the "pressure maintenance (jockey) pump". It is a small pump connected near the fire pump that holds pressure in the fire protection piping, recovering the slow pressure losses that occur over time, for example from temperature changes. It is deliberately sized for a flow smaller than one sprinkler, so that when a sprinkler opens the pressure falls far enough to start the main fire pump. Jockey pumps are typically small multistage centrifugal pumps and work as part of the fire pump's control scheme.
| Jockey (pressure maintenance) pump | Main fire pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Keeps the system pressurised against small, slow losses | Supplies the design flow and pressure during a fire |
| Flow | Below the flow of one sprinkler | The system's calculated demand |
| Typical type | Small multistage centrifugal pump | Split case, end suction, in-line, vertical turbine or multistage multiport |
| Driver | Electric motor | Electric motor or diesel engine |
| Starts | Frequently, at a pressure set above the main pump's start point | Only when pressure falls below its own start setting |
| Weekly check under NFPA 25 | Power to the jockey pump is provided | Room, valves, gauges, controller lights, churn test where required |
Two practical consequences follow. First, the jockey pump's start and stop pressures must sit above the main pump's start pressure, or every small leak will start the fire pump. Second, a jockey pump that runs very often is telling you something: a leak, a passing valve or a wrong setting. The weekly and monthly test records, which log the starting pressure from the pressure switch or transducer, are where that shows up. Ask the designer for the full pressure schedule (jockey start and stop, main pump start, and any standby pump start) and have it posted in the pump room.
NFPA's overview of fire pump types divides them into positive displacement and centrifugal pumps, with centrifugal being the most common.
| Type | What NFPA notes | Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal split case | Flow enters the impeller from both sides; casing opens for maintenance; reliable, wide range of flows and pressures; needs the most space | Electric or diesel |
| Vertical turbine | The only type NFPA 20 allows to start with negative suction pressure or take water under lift, such as from a below-grade tank, river or lake | Electric or diesel |
| In-line | Least space, usually lower cost but harder to repair (motor lifted off for access); typically no more than 1,500 gpm (5,678 L/min) | Electric only |
| End suction | Discharge perpendicular to suction; more compact than split case; typically up to about 1,500 gpm (5,678 L/min) | Electric or diesel |
| Multistage multiport | Several impellers in series in one casing with outlets at different pressures, one per zone | Electric or diesel |
| Positive displacement | Very high pressure, limited flow; mainly water mist and foam-water systems | Per system design |
The multiport option matters for Gulf towers. NFPA's example is a 30-floor building split into three zones, with one pump delivering 100 psi (6.9 bar) to floors ground to 9, 175 psi (12.1 bar) to floors 10 to 19 and 300 psi (20.7 bar) to floors 20 to 30. NFPA lists the possible benefits as fewer pumps, less pipework and fewer pressure-reducing devices, no water tanks on intermediate floors, lower structural loads and lower energy use. The vertical turbine rule matters for plant rooms where the fire tank is below the pump: other pump types need positive suction.
Fire pumps are most commonly driven by an electric motor or a diesel engine. An electric fire pump may also be fed from an emergency generator through a listed transfer switch. The choice of driver and power arrangement is the fire protection designer's, made against the code and the authority's requirements.
Electric fire pump supplies are unusual. NFPA notes that NFPA 20 discourages a disconnecting means and features that limit overcurrent protection in the power supply to electric fire pumps, to keep power available in a fire. The consequence for maintenance is a higher exposure to shock, arc flash and arc blast. NFPA 25 now requires NFPA 70E (or an equivalent) safe work practices when testing or maintaining fire pump controllers, and avoids tests that would need an energized controller opened. NFPA 70E also requires the owner to label the equipment with the nominal voltage, arc flash boundary and incident energy or PPE category. Ask the panel supplier for external test points and the incident energy analysis at handover.
A fire pump is a centrifugal or positive displacement pump tested and listed for fire service by a third-party agency such as UL or FM Global. Makers in the region advertise these listings: NAFFCO, for example, describes UL/FM and LPCB approved split case and end suction fire pumps. When comparing quotations, check that the listing covers the exact pump model, rated flow, pressure and speed offered, and that the controller, driver and relief valves are listed for fire pump service too. NFPA's churn test guidance refers to a circulation relief valve that discharges a small flow to stop the pump overheating at no flow, and to main pressure relief valves; both should be in the scope.
NFPA points out that design, installation and acceptance testing only prove the pump works on the day of the acceptance test; after the keys are handed over, routine inspection, testing and maintenance under NFPA 25 keeps it ready. NFPA defines weekly as once per calendar week.
Annual flow tests follow. Weekly inspections can usually be done by trained facility staff; NFPA 25 requires qualified people for the more complex tasks.
Fire protection products in the UAE go through Civil Defence approval under the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code; our guide to UAE Civil Defence approval for fire safety equipment explains the certificate of conformity route. For fire pump sets, ask each supplier for the Civil Defence approval covering the exact pump, driver and controller combination, alongside the UL or FM listing. Compare fire sprinkler system suppliers and fire hydrant system suppliers for the systems the pump serves.
The Saudi Fire Code is SBC 801, part of the Saudi Building Code, and SASO publishes the list of conformity assessment bodies accepted for inspection activities under the Saudi Building Code, including SBC 801. Confirm with the project's Civil Defence consultant which edition and referenced standards apply, and ask suppliers for the approvals the authority will accept. Browse fire fighting equipment suppliers in Saudi Arabia and fire protection companies in Saudi Arabia.
Engines and motors are rated for a stated maximum ambient temperature. Ask the supplier to confirm the engine and motor ratings at the real summer pump room temperature, the fuel tank size and the exhaust and ventilation arrangement before the room is built.
NAFFCO describes itself as a fire pump manufacturer in the UAE, offering horizontal and vertical fire pumps, UL/FM and LPCB approved split case and end suction pumps, electric motor and diesel engine drivers, controllers, jockey pumps, containerised pump house units built to NFPA 20 and packaged industrial pump sets.
Aurora, founded in Aurora, Illinois, in 1919 and acquired by Pentair in 1997, lists Series 912 horizontal split case and vertical electric drive fire pumps, Series 913 horizontal diesel drive fire pumps, Series 914 vertical turbine fire pumps and an end suction fire pump (Model 384, Series 911.5).
Then post your fire pump requirement on ListGCC so approved suppliers quote on the same basis. For non-fire water duties in the same building, see our guide to booster pump sizing, and browse centrifugal pump suppliers.
More in this series: Submersible Borehole Pumps, Types of Pump, Sump, Drainage and Sewage Pumps for Buildings and Sites.
It is a small pressure maintenance pump, usually a multistage centrifugal pump, installed beside the main fire pump. It keeps the fire piping at pressure against slow losses, so the main pump does not start for minor pressure drops. It is sized for less flow than one sprinkler, so a real discharge drops the pressure enough to start the main fire pump.
The fire pump is the large listed pump, electric or diesel, that supplies the system's design flow and pressure in a fire. The jockey pump is small, electric and only maintains standby pressure. Its start and stop pressures are set above the fire pump's start pressure, so it handles small losses and the fire pump starts only when real demand occurs.
Frequent starts usually mean the system is losing pressure: a leak, a passing valve or drain, or pressure settings that are too close together. Check the controller's start log and the pressure schedule, then look for the loss. A jockey pump that runs constantly can also hide a leak large enough to matter in a fire.
NFPA's guidance states that the vertical turbine pump is the only type NFPA 20 allows to start with negative suction pressure or to take water under lift, for example from a below-grade tank, pond or river. Horizontal split case, end suction and in-line pumps need a positive suction supply.
Under NFPA 25, diesel fire pumps generally get a no-flow (churn) test every week and most electric pumps every month, with weekly tests for some electric pumps such as vertical turbines and those serving buildings beyond fire department pumping capacity. Electric pumps run at least 10 minutes and diesel pumps at least 30 minutes, started automatically from a pressure drop.
Yes. An electric fire pump may be supplied from an emergency generator through a listed transfer switch. The fire protection designer decides the power arrangement against the code and the authority's requirements; a diesel engine driven pump is the other common driver.
Featured image: Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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