5 Fire Safety Elements for Commercial Buildings
It is incredibly important to maintain fire safety in a commercial building. It’s important as it keeps your customers safe, as well as yourself and your employees. It’s crucial to maintain fire safety equipment and to make sure that your building covers fire laws.
Commercial fires can be caused by the same reasons that domestic fires can, such as ovens, faulty electrics, arson etc. However, the good news is that these fires can be prevented, and measures can be taken to ensure that the building is as safe as it can be.
Use of fire alarms
Fire alarms are an incredibly important part of fire safety as they are the warning signal to people to exit the building. Fire alarms are arguably, the most important feature in a fire safety system. Fire alarms are used as they usually detect a fire the earliest.
However, you are not actually required by law to have a fire alarm system on the premises, it is typically the easiest and most convenient system to have. Although the law states that you do not have to have a fire alarm system in the building, you must have an appropriate fire detection system in place.
Exit Signs
Exit signs are another crucial part of fire safety in a commercial setting. This is because people need to know where to go in the event of a fire. Having signs that clearly point to the exit, is crucial. If people do not know here to go, then a panic will ensue. These kinds of panics can sometimes be fatal as people tend to not think logically. It’s imperative that people remain calm when there is a fire, as it can mean the difference between life and death. Therefore, exit signs are so important.
Emergency lights
Emergency lights are also incredibly important to use alongside exit signs. During a fire, there is typically a lot of smoke. This can obscure vision and make the setting extremely difficult to navigate around, even in a familiar setting. Therefore, emergency lights are important, as they can guide people to the exit. They are easier to see through the thick smoke. Furthermore, light up exit signs switch to emergency power when it cannot connect to the main power.
Fire extinguishers
A lot of commercial buildings have fire extinguishers nearby. However, you must know how to use one in order to operate it. Usually, the operation of these is included within fire safety training.
Fire extinguishers should also not be any further than 75 feet away from each other, as people should not have to travel more than this in order to reach a fire extinguisher. They should also be stored near the exits, as people coming in should not have to travel far to reach one to put out a fire.
Fire sprinklers
A lot of the time in commercial buildings, a sprinkler system will be used. This can be an effective way to reduce a fire, or even stop a fire. These systems require regular maintenance and upkeep by licensed inspectors.
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