An unexpected fire can quickly cause a great deal of unwanted damage and destruction. Whether at home, at school, or in the workplace, accidents, poor maintenance and other factors can cause fire emergencies threatening injury and even death to individuals caught up in its grasp.
It’s vital that we avoid such dangers, but what practical action can we take to stay safe?
The following article, will offer some useful tips for fire safety and fire prevention that can help us all.
Identify areas that maybe more prone to fire
Do you have rooms with machinery, electrical equipment, or cooking appliances? If you have areas where potentially dangerous equipment is located you should limit the access to trained operatives and this should be clearly marked on entrances. You should also ensure that fire extinguishing apparatus is kept in or very near to the room and clearly marked as such. It’s also important that your staff are trained in its use before an emergency.
Whether at work or at home it’s vital that those people using electrical appliances or working with or near to products susceptible to ignition are thoroughly safety trained.
Ensure that equipment and electrical circuits are regularly safety checked, and that damage or faults are reported immediately and action taken to isolate the item from use until a qualified person repairs or removes it.
Do your staff know who to make reports to of this nature?
Install Smoke Alarms
You should never rely on individuals raising the alarm when a fire breaks out. Many fires go completely unnoticed until it is too late to control it with equipment on site. So make sure that you have an adequate fire alarm system with good quality smoke alarms throughout the building. Do you have a fire alarm system installed? When was the last time you had it professionally tested? This is vitally important.
Damage to property and human welfare can be prevented by having well-maintained fire systems and trained individuals.
Make Everyone Fire Aware
Good signage can help you to direct your staff in an emergency situation. But there is nothing better than having staff who have been professionally trained in the prevention of fire and emergency procedures such as escape.
Having clearly marked fire escape routes throughout your building can save lives, as can well monitored Fire Drills. Evacuating all your people in cases of fire may involve using stairs, elevators, etc. and can take a long time. Carrying out realistic drills will help identify any potential bottlenecks so that these can be reported to the Fire Marshal and steps taken to remove the problem.
Once a Fire Drill is completed, discuss and report back any adjustments that need to be made in order to ensure the safety of all your staff, able-bodied or not. Remember that the electricity may go off during a fire, so emergency lighting and neon signs need to be professionally installed.
Keep Fire Extinguishers Ready to use
One of the first steps towards fire prevention and safety is to have, high-quality fire extinguishers and other fire equipment which are regularly tested. But it’s no use having the equipment, even if it’s in the right place, if no one has been trained in its use. Learning how to use a fire extinguisher under the pressure of an emergency situation, is unlikely to turn out well.
Conclusion
No one wants to have a fire breakout at their home or workplace, but fires occur on a regular basis every day often where they were least expected. So prepare your business, prepare your people and get professional support to keep everyone safe. Carry out regular monitored fire drills. Make Fire Safety a priority and help protect property and save lives.
Please share this article with your business partners and friends. If you would welcome a visit to discuss risk assessing your business site please feel free to contact us at MidlandsFRS –
Call: 03333 44 99 08, Email: rescue@midlandsfrs.co.uk