The Importance of Good Fire Protection

If you work in an office building, restaurant, retail store, warehouse, or any other commercial space, it’s important to have fire protection that is working well. Having an efficient fire detection system can save lives and minimize the damage to your assets.

If a fire starts in your home, you will only have a few minutes to escape. That’s why it is so important to have working smoke alarms, and to practice your family’s escape plan. You should also have safety equipment, like a fire extinguisher, in easy-to-find locations and know how to use it. Make sure the batteries in your smoke detectors are fresh, too. The best time to change them is when you switch your clocks to daylight savings (if you live in a region that does this).

It’s also a good idea to check your emergency escape route regularly to be sure it is unblocked. This includes hallways, doorways, stairways, windows, and outdoor areas such as fire hydrants. These areas should be free of items such as deliveries, shopping carts, trash receptacles, vehicles, or plants.

While it’s true that most fire deaths happen in the home, workplace fires can be equally deadly and catastrophic for business occupants and their customers. In fact, fires can cause as much or more damage to a facility as it does to a residential structure. Having an efficient fire protection system is essential for preventing the loss of life and property at work or at home.

A fire prevention system works in one of two ways: active or passive. Active fire prevention systems include things such as smoke detectors and exit signs that are powered by battery, and can operate even if the power fails. Passive fire protection systems are structural measures designed to keep flames and smoke contained, such as fire doors and walls made of a special material that can resist the spread of fire.

In addition to these systems, it is important to keep a list of potential fire hazards in your home and office, including candles, rugs, curtains, and overloaded electrical outlets. Also be sure to properly dispose of cigarette butts and ashes, and don’t leave cooking food unattended.

Fires can spread quickly in a large building, and it’s difficult to see through thick smoke and flames. Having an early warning fire detection system, such as MoviTHERM’s iEFD, can help first responders and building occupants to locate the source of the fire and contain it more effectively.

If you live or work in a high-rise building, it’s a good idea to have a fire escape plan and practice it regularly. In the event of a fire, you should not break a window unless absolutely necessary. This can actually make the situation worse, because breaking a window provides an extra burst of oxygen that will exacerbate the fire. Instead, if you can’t escape through a door, try the back of your hand against it to see if it is hot or not. If it isn’t, then carefully open the door.