How to Prepare Your Company for a Fire

12/16/2020 (Permalink)

The effects of a fire in your office could be devastating, especially if you're not prepared. There are effective ways to not only evacuate safely but to mitigate or even prevent the damage. Every company needs a contingency plan to be ready for a fire in the workplace. If you don't currently have one, now is the time to get started.

Preventive Measures

As a responsible business owner or property manager, you should be consistently looking out for the safety of the occupants and the protection of the property. These steps can reduce the chances of a fire starting:

• Inspect the electrical system in the building and make necessary repairs.
• Properly store flammable chemicals and materials.
• Ensure that all employees comply with regulations to smoke outside of the building.
  
  

Check Smoke Alarms

A big part of your contingency plan should include an assessment of the fire alarm system in the building. You should change the batteries every year and the alarms themselves every 10 years. If you have a digital system, have a professional test the alarms regularly. You should have several alarms on each floor of the office.

Outline an Escape Plan

If the smoke alarms go off and a fire begins to make its way through your building, will you know how to safely exit in an orderly fashion? If you have not come up with an evacuation plan, start today. Your plan should include identifying every exit on each floor. Also, assign roles to responsible people, including the task of ushering people out of the building and taking a headcount to make sure everyone safely evacuates. Determine a safe place to gather away from the building. You should practice this plan at least once a year.

A contingency plan can save your life during a fire. A professional fire cleanup and restoration team can get your building back in working order. In the meantime, you've got these important tasks to fulfill.