When you have a commercial space of any kind, there are rules about the kind of fire systems that you must have. Most are required to have at least one fire extinguisher as well as to buy a fire alarm system. When you have fire extinguisher inspections, the required number of fire extinguishers have to be there, and they have to be unused. If you keep one that has been used, it’s impossible to tell how much material is still inside it, so used ones are to be thrown away.
It pays to get the best smoke fire carbon monoxide detector so that anyone in your space is alerted to a problem either with a fire or carbon monoxide. Having a brown smoke detector can be helpful, and a black carbon monoxide detector can also be used. Having detectors in your space should take into account the amount of space you have and the number of rooms. Depending on your jurisdiction, you may also have a requirement for fire sprinklers to be installed. If you have plenty of fire supersession equipment and everything is in good order, you are likely to pass the fire inspection the next time your business has one.
Having fire protection systems is incredibly important. Especially, if you own a business and are responsible for the care and safety of others like employees or customers. Fires are something that we think won’t happen to us. This makes it the most dangerous hazard of all because we often are not prepared for it. The worst kinds of accidents happen usually because we are not ready. Here are a few ways that you can keep your establishment safe from fires.
Fire Alarm Installation
Get a fire alarm installed. The great thing about fire alarms is that they give off a major warning to everyone in the vicinity. You may think that fire alarm installation is not that important, at least not nearly as important as fire sprinklers or something that can actually put out the fire. While that is also important, having an alarm will let people know as soon as higher heat or smoke is detected and allow time for people to exit the building. Usually, if you wait until you see flames, it’s too late, you’ve probably already inhaled a lot of smoke. While you may still be able to get out of the fire, the smoke damage to your lungs will be immense. Having a fire alarm will alert you and everyone else to a problem before it causes major damage. If you get the right system, a fire alarm is also often connected to a fire station, so that when it goes off it sends a signal to them. This way, you don’t even need to call. This has saved lives when the people are trapped inside without a way to call the fire house. Fire alarm installation is usually accompanied by an offer of fire suppression systems which are also crucial. Let’s look at those for a minute.
Fire Suppression
Other than having an alarm, you should definitely have some sort of fire suppression system in place. Something like overhead sprinklers are a good idea in order to put out any fires. However, if you work in an office or something with expensive equipment, the water from the sprinklers could cause just as much damage to your business as a fire would. Granted, the people would be safe which is the priority but what if you could save both the business and the people? You can. There are fire suppression systems which use foam or other materials to put out fires while saving the integrity of the appliances and equipment that it touches. Do a little research before have your fire suppression and fire alarm installation done to make sure that you have gotten the right thing for your establishment.
Fire Drills
It’s important that everyone understand their place in the event of a fire. People often get annoyed with fire drills because it interrupts their work. However, fire drills have been known to save lives. The problem is, that when a fire alarm goes off, people tend to panic. If it is the real deal and they haven’t been previously prepared, when adrenaline is rushing and emotions are running high, a person can forget simple day to day things that they already knew, such as, where the exit is. Fire drills build muscle memory so that people don’t have to think. If they practice over and over again by hearing the fire alarm and reacting the same way every time, it won’t matter how their emotions are on the day of an actual fire, they will simply follow the steps that they always have.
While people may not think that fire alarms are important, insurance companies do. Often times, an insurance company won’t even cover your business if you do not have some sort of fire alarm system or sprinkler system installed in your establishment. Understandably so; it is asking for trouble. They want to see that you are doing everything you can in order to prevent a fire from ruining your business. Contact your local fire suppression company and see what they can do for you as far as installing the necessary components that will keep you, your business and every one in it as safe as possible.
