We talk a lot about keeping your home and family safe from fires, but what about commercial buildings? With different people coming in and out of these buildings on a daily basis, it can be difficult to enforce rules and regulations but following a few simple tips will ensure the safety of your building and everyone inside of it. We’ve put together a few fire prevention and safety tips below for you to start implementing in your commercial building:
Check smoke alarms frequently
This one sounds obvious, but it can’t be said enough! Just as you install, check, and replace smoke detectors in your home, the same should be done in commercial buildings. While this can be an easy task to forget about, making sure they are working properly can save lives. Consider having fire drills like you did in grade school. This not only ensures the alarms are working properly, but it will familiarize everyone with the sound so when and if they hear it, they know to exit immediately.
Enforce a strict no-smoking policy
Although it’s illegal to smoke indoors in Rhode Island, smoking outdoors can pose just as much of a threat if not done cautiously. Post signs asking people to stand at a safe enough distance away from the building when smoking, and offer proper receptacles for throwing their cigarettes away. Even if they’re smoking far enough away from the building, disposing of a lit cigarette can cause a fire, which can spread to the building. If there’s a larger population of smokers in your building, consider installing an outdoor smoking shelter.
Educate building occupants
Don’t assume that all building occupants are well-educated in fire safety and prevention. Consider holding seminars to go over safety protocols including exit ways, kitchen safety tips, fire extinguisher tutorials, and more. When everyone in the building is aware and up-to-speed with these regulations and safety tips, everyone can work together and do their part to keep fires at bay.
Properly store flammable materials
Combustible materials like paper and wood are common in commercial buildings. However, if these materials are stored too close to heaters or electrical outlets, there’s more of a chance that they’ll catch fire. Try to store items like wood, paper, or flammable liquids in air-tight containers and away from any source of heat or electricity. Additionally, you can prevent electrical fires by having all electric work done by a licensed electrician and only using extension cords that are appropriate for the appliance or tool being used.
If you find yourself in a position where you need smoke or fire restoration for your commercial building, give us a call. Our technicians are certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification and will get your building back to feeling like paradise.
