It’s that time of the year again when we take a month to dive deep and talk extensively about workplace fire safety.
You may be asking why.
Well, the reality on the ground is that every year there are still approximately 6,698 workplace fires and 24,000 residential incidents. What’s more, thousands of people die in these fires and hundreds suffer injuries.
As fire experts, we approach fire prevention from this understanding. That fires are still a threat despite commendable efforts to improve building standards.
This is why we teach and advocate for the installation of fire prevention equipment and fire suppression solutions.
In this post, we’re going to discuss fire prevention month 2022 tips and give you recommendations for fire prevention systems to consider investing in.
But first, what is fire prevention anyway?
What is Fire Prevention?
Safeopedia.com defines fire prevention as:
“…relating to the goal of educating members of workplaces and the public in taking proactive steps to prevent fires from starting and to reduce the harmful impact of fires.”
In light of this, part of our educational efforts encompasses making you aware of the steps you need to take in order to mitigate fire risk and what fire prevention solutions you can adopt and install on your premises.
That’s why we’ve put together this post with fire prevention month 2022 must-have solutions. And speaking of solutions, here are our top fire system suggestions and recommendations.
Top 5 Fire Prevention Must-Have Solutions
Fire Prevention Must-Have #1 A Fire Safety Plan
What is a fire safety plan?
In a nutshell, it’s a type of map that assists you in identifying exit routes in your business premises that helps people get out of the building as quickly and safely as possible when a fire or other emergency takes place.
The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs has provided a step-by-step guide to developing your own fire escape plan here. For business premises, your local fire experts are more than happy to aid you to devise a carefully structured and well-thought-out fire safety plan.
It’s also worth noting that a fire escape plan will only be as effective as how often it is practiced. If you already have one in place, when was the last time you had a mock fire drill to test its effectiveness?
How familiar are your employees with the fire escape plan? If you’re not able to answer either of these questions satisfactorily then a drill is probably overdue.
Make sure everyone knows at least two ways to escape and where the meeting place is once they are outside the building.
Fire Prevention Must-Have #2 A Smoke Detector
According to the Canadian Red Cross, in the event of a fire in your place of residence or your business, you may have just under two minutes to make your escape. What this tells us is that early fire detection is key to swift evacuations.
Thanks to smoke detectors (devices that can sense smoke), such evacuations are possible and decrease mortality by 50%.
Every place of business should have smoke detectors as a workplace fire safety best practice. We’ll also add here that you should test smoke detector batteries every month and replace them at least once a year.
Early detection is pivotal to saving lives and gives people time to react and escape according to the fire escape plan. However, for better outcomes, we recommend connecting smoke detectors to fire alarm systems.
Fire Prevention Must-Have #3 A Fire Alarm System
Having smoke detectors around the building is important but if you want to up your odds of successfully preventing fires then connecting that detector to a fire alarm is critical.
You see, smoke detectors and smoke alarms aren’t synonymous.
They are two fire prevention systems that can stand alone as independent solutions. However, they tend to be better together.
Smoke detectors can detect smoke but they don’t sound an alarm. You need the detector to be linked to a fire alarm system in order for that shrill tell-tale warning siren to sound throughout the premises.
Researchers have also confirmed for us that in premises with smoke alarms, the number of fatalities typically tends to be much lower than within buildings that have no smoke alarms.
Fire Prevention Must-Have #4 A Wet/Dry Pipe Sprinkler System
So, you’ve got a fire safety plan, a smoke detector and a smoke alarm installed, is that all you need?
Well, not exactly. There’s more.
How do you plan on putting out the fire? You have two major options. The first one involves fire extinguishers to contain the fire if it’s small and not life-threatening. And the second option involves a wet/:dry pipe sprinkler system.
Wet pipe sprinkler systems are large-scale and involve piping that spans the breadth and length of entire sections of the business premise. Wet pipe sprinklers are so-called because they contain pressurized water that’s ready to be discharged over fires.
Dry pipe sprinkler systems differ from wet pipe sprinklers because of their contents which are pressurized nitrogen or air instead of water.
Fire Prevention Must-Have #5 Knowledge to Put Out Fires
The final fire prevention must-have tip is knowledge of how to smother flames when someone is on fire.
The method that is employed here is known as the Stop, Drop and Roll technique and is executed exactly as it sounds.
If your clothes are on fire or those of a victim, the first step to putting out the fire is to stop moving, drop to the ground and roll until you (or the victim) have managed to successfully smother the fire.
Get Your Fire Prevention Systems Today
We could not let fire prevention month 2022 pass without addressing workplace fire safety. We hope this post has been insightful.
If you’re concerned about workplace fire safety and are searching for robust, intuitive, affordable fire prevention solutions in Waterloo, Ontario consider Nutech Fire Prevention.
We offer a comprehensive line of emergency backup generators, fire alarm systems, fire warning systems, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, exit lighting, fire safety plans. sprinkler systems, and gas detection services.
Request a free quote today.