Dispatch Dispatcher
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Hazardous Material Violation; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
[Maintenance Control] called to ask if there was any Hazmat onboard. I asked my Service Recovery Specialist; who confirmed that there was a SAX onboard with HAZ. The [Operations Control] called next and said that the Fire Suppression System had been deactivated and that Maintenance had not hooked up the halon cans to the hoses. I sent an ACARS to the crew to let them know the situation and asked them if they would divert to ZZZ1 or ZZZ. Both airports were equal distance from their current position. [Operations Control] came back and asked to put them on the ground in ZZZ if the crew was OK with that. The flight diverted to ZZZ.When I've called ramp agents in the past about a fire suppression system being inoperative or deactivated; it's either been an MEL or a restrictive [Deferred Item]. After I got word of this issue; I went back through my MELs and [Deferred Items] and saw 'FSS (Fire Suppression System) SYSTEM' on a non-restrictive [Deferred Item]. Throughout our training; my class was told repeatedly that we do not need to read the non-restrictive [Deferred Items]. If important systems like these are going to be non-restrictive [Deferred Items]; I would suggest training new dispatchers to read them. I will be reading through them from now on.
Cargo Operations Dispatcher reported becoming aware of Cargo Fire Suppression System being deactivated with Hazmat on board. Flight crew executed a precautionary diversion.