October Is Fire Protection & Safety Month

October is Fire Protection & Safety Month, and it is the perfect opportunity for you to make sure your building is safe and secure from fire hazards and threats to your tenants. Before you break out the streamers and cake to celebrate, make sure to conduct a thorough audit of your building’s fire safety systems. The preparation you do today is the best protection for ensuring that your business is around next year when the festivities roll around again.

2021 Fire Safety Week

Fire Safety Week this year falls between October 9-13, with the theme “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.” The focus this year is on the sounds fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors make. One of the best ways you can get familiarized with these sounds is to run a couple of fire drills so that everyone in the building can hear the sounds of your alarm buzzers. It is also important that you make sure that your strobe lights and other systems for visually and hearing-impaired tenants are in proper working order.

Doing Your Part to Keep Everyone Safe

Fire alarms are just one critical component of your overall fire prevention and protection plan. While you run drills and test your fire alarms and strobe lights, be sure to go the extra mile to make sure your fire suppression systems, emergency lighting, security, and other systems are in working order. The following are just some of the things your business should plan on doing this month.

Schedule Maintenance

When was the last time you had your fire sprinklers, fire extinguishers, emergency lights, backflow preventers, etc., inspected? If you don’t know the answer right away, it is a good bet you are behind schedule.

Reach out to Unifour Fire & Safety to schedule a service appointment. We will inspect your systems and make sure everything is working the way it should if a fire breaks out. We can also review your paperwork and ensure system certifications are up to date and accurate.

Upgrade Your System

Fire prevention and suppression technology is constantly evolving. Newer, more modern systems may offer features that your current system lacks. When your service technician inspects your system, speak with them about possible upgrades that can enhance your fire safety system and provide improved protection for your building and tenants.

Update Your Fire Safety Checklist

What are your plans if a fire breaks out? Who gets called? In what order do tasks need to be performed? It’s a good idea to review and revise your plans to account for personnel changes, new tenants, evolving fire threats, etc.

Practice Fire Drills

You can never be too prepared for a fire within a commercial structure. It would help if you worked closely with tenants to schedule fire drills that walk everyone through shut down procedures, evacuation routes, etc. When a fire breaks out, everyone should know without thinking about where to go and who is doing what within their office, restaurant, and so forth.

Inspect for Hazards

Are your tenants adhering to established safety protocols? Are coffee pots, power cords, lights, and copy machines in good condition and being used properly? Are waste bins overflowing and fire extinguishers hidden? Give your building a thorough, top-to-bottom inspection. Make sure all tenants correct any safety deficiencies you identify.

Do you have more questions about steps your business can take to defend against fire hazards? Contact Unifour Fire & Safety at 866-511-5540, and we will be happy to help. We proudly service clients in NC, SC, GA, VA & TN!