Necessary Fire Protection Services for South Carolina Businesses

As you operate your South Carolina business from day to day, you don’t often think about the effects a fire could have on your building. However, if you’re caught by an unexpected blaze, serious property damage could occur. You might even unintentionally put the lives of your employees and customers at risk.

Ensure optimal safety and code compliance by employing these methods of fire protection for your South Carolina business.

Install Fire Protection Equipment

This is the first step to protect your South Carolina facility from the ravages of fire. With the proper equipment in place, you can combat flames and help ensure building occupants evacuate safely. Here are the systems Unifour Fire & Safety installs:

• Fire sprinklers
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire alarms
• Fire pumps
• Kitchen fire suppression
• Backflow preventers
• Emergency lighting

Regularly Inspect & Maintain Your SC Fire Protection Equipment

It isn’t enough just to install the proper equipment. After all, mechanical systems require upkeep to remain in top working order for years to come. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recognizes this, which is why this organization has created national fire codes requiring fire protection maintenance on a routine schedule.

Turn to Unifour for the ongoing services you need, including:

• Fire sprinkler inspections and testing
• Fire extinguisher inspections
• Fire alarm inspections and testing
• Fire pump inspection and testing
• Fire hydrant inspection
• Kitchen fire suppression inspection and testing
• Backflow preventer inspection and testing
• Emergency lighting inspection and testing

Create a Fire Safety Plan

Fires occur unexpectedly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for one to strike. With a fire safety plan, you and your employees have all the information you need regarding the processes and procedures to follow in case of an emergency. Here are the steps you should take when creating your evacuation plan:

• Appoint specific supervisory staff members certain responsibilities to perform during an emergency. Establish a method of training these staff members on the duties you expect them to carry out.
• Devise instructions for building occupants to follow in case of fire.
• List detailed maintenance procedures for fire protection systems.
• Have a backup plan in case any fire protection equipment temporarily shuts down during an emergency.
• Mount evacuation routes in hallways and stairwells.
• Create a plan for evacuating building occupants with special needs or mobility restrictions.
• Design an accountability system to ensure all building occupants make it out safely. Include techniques for notifying the fire department of any missing persons.

Educate Your Employees

An essential aspect of emergency preparedness is making sure your employees know how to prevent fires and respond appropriately if a blaze breaks out. Train your team with the following techniques:

• Teach proper housekeeping: With a few preventative measures, your employees can play a big part in preventing fires. Require your workers to keep hallways and emergency exit doors clear; dispose of cardboard boxes and pallets daily; store combustibles safely; only smoke outdoors; and ventilate the space adequately when using chemicals.
• Hold routine fire drills: Put your fire safety plan to the test with regular fire drills. This is the perfect chance for your team to work out the kinks so when a real emergency strikes, everyone feels confident with the part they play.
• Establish shutdown procedures: If your building has mission-critical operations, assign someone to shut it down during a fire emergency. Provide training, both on how to perform the shutdown process and when to abandon the task and evacuate to safety.
• Provide fire extinguisher training: Depending on the type of business you operate, you may choose to instruct your employees to evacuate immediately if the fire alarm sounds. However, you might also decide to arm them with fire extinguishers to douse small blazes and potentially prevent significant property damage. If you go this route, you must provide hands-on training for your employees so they feel confident using an extinguisher in a real fire.

Schedule Fire Protection Services in South Carolina

If you’re located in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, or any of the surrounding areas in South Carolina, count on Unifour Fire & Safety to provide expert fire protection services for your business. Contact us now to get started!