How to prepare for Commercial fire

7/22/2021 (Permalink)

Commercial buildings have come a long way in fire safety in recent years. Thankfully many are equipped with sprinkler systems or other fire suppressant systems. Most also have multiple fire extinguishers on hand as well as fire exit plans posted. But do your employees know how these systems work? Here are a few tips to help ensure that your equipment is working correctly and that your staff knows what to do in case of fire emergency.

1. Fire Alarms. Fire Alarms should be checked regularly to confirm they are functioning properly. This is the first line of defense in an emergency. This alerts your staff and customers that they need to quickly exit the building.
2. Fire Extinguishers. Do you have enough fire extinguishers on hand? No employee should have to travel more than 75 feet to reach one. Do you your employees know where they are or how to use one? These are important safety measures to go over.
3. Emergency Exit Lights. Confirm that all of your emergency exit lights are correctly placed and are functioning. They should illuminate when main power is off. This helps people to find the exit quickly in the case of emergency when tensions are high and visibility may be lost. Exit signs should have a test button that you can use to regularly ensure that they are functioning correctly.
4. Fire Suppression Systems. Many commercial buildings have fire suppression systems in place. It is important that these be inspected regularly by a licensed inspector. Be sure that your staff understands how they work.

It is important to have a plan in place to prevent commercial fires, but it is equally important to have a plan in place in case something does happen. Here at SERVPRO we offer an Emergency Ready Plan, or ERP to all local businesses. This plan puts all of the information you and your staff might need into one document that can be accessed by an app that you can load onto any device. This plan will note where all of your emergency shut-offs are as well as key personnel that needs to be notified. It also gives you quick access to our office so we can immediately begin to mitigate your loss and get your business back on track.