With that said, there are a number of key things that you can do to ensure that your building has the best protection. While it is impossible to avoid all fires and other natural disasters, proper prevention can help to reduce the risk of serious fire. Here are several important areas of fire prevention that you need to address to better protect your building and its occupants.
Keep Up with Maintenance
Your building’s systems need to be maintained properly to minimize the risk of accidents that could cause a fire. That includes the heating and ventilation systems, electronic devices, power backups, and any heavy machinery.
Check Wiring and Electrical Circuits
When it comes to maintenance, one fire risk really stands out: the building’s electrical system. Wiring, circuits, cords, and sockets can all pose unique fire risks if they’re not installed or maintained properly. Don’t allow your building to become a victim of an unexpected electrical fire.
Maintain all Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are not just decorative ornaments. They provide an important resource to prevent small fires from growing and doing serious damage to life and property. Your building should have the right number of fire extinguishers, strategically located and clearly marked, and regularly services to make sure that they’re in working order.
Pay Close Attention to Flammable Materials
Many companies maintain some type of flammable materials on the premises. To prevent fires, those materials need to be kept in secure and safe locations. In addition, staff in the building should be trained to properly handle those materials, to prevent accidents.
Have a Plan and Conduct Regular Drills
It’s also important to recognize that accidents can still happen, in spite of your best efforts. You can still reduce the risk to human life, however, by developing a solid plan for responding to any fire. Make sure that everyone in the building knows where the emergency exits are located and create a straightforward plan to evacuate the premises in an orderly fashion. Conduct regular drills to ensure that everyone understands your safety plan and make modifications as needed.
The reality is that fire prevention is perhaps the best way to minimize the risk that fire poses to life and property, so smart actions today can prevent tragedy tomorrow. To learn more about fire prevention for your building or sign up for Fire and Life Safety Director training, contact the ISS Fire Science Institute at International Security Services – New York City’s dedicated security experts.
