Because a fire pump controller is a listed assembly approved for the specific driver type and rating, covering starting, supervision, alarms and recording as one unit. Conventional switchgear that is electrically adequate still makes the installation non-compliant, because the listing covers the assembly and its behaviour rather than its capacity.

So the pump cannot shut itself down while a fire is still burning. Fire pump controllers generally start automatically on pressure drop and require a manual stop after the event. It is a deliberate design choice that prioritises availability over convenience.

Its own power supply, phase presence and rotation, and controller trouble conditions - raising alarms to the building fire system for each. A controller that has quietly lost a phase or tripped a supervision circuit is a failure that must be discovered by supervision rather than at the moment of demand.

Moving the fire pump onto a secondary power supply when the primary fails. It is integrated with the fire pump controller rather than being a general-purpose transfer switch, because its behaviour and supervision have to form part of the listed fire pump assembly.

They manage dual battery sets and dual starting circuits, alternating between batteries across successive start attempts so a single weak battery cannot prevent starting. They also supervise battery charging and engine condition, and raise alarms for engine trouble as well as for controller faults.

Yes - system pressure and pump run events are recorded, historically on a chart recorder and now usually digitally. That record is what demonstrates the pump started when it should during testing or an actual event, and it forms part of the compliance evidence for the installation.

Only if it is listed for that driver type and rating. Controllers are approved against specific motor or engine parameters, so moving one to a different set generally invalidates the approval even where it appears to function perfectly well electrically. Treat the controller as part of the pump set rather than as a separable component.