emergency lights

What are Emergency Lights?

The last time you sat in a movie theatre, you might have observed exit signs light up in the darkness. Under OSHA rules, a commercial building must include emergency lights to be considered safe and code-compliant. Inhabitants of your commercial building must know how to find the exits in an emergency, which is why it’s vital to have a fire protection company set up and assess your emergency lighting.

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Hydrostatic testing of fire extinguishers is important in making sure that extinguishers work efficiently.

What is Hydrostatic Testing of Fire Extinguishers?

Making sure that your fire extinguishers work efficiently is crucial in the safety of your home or property. One way to confirm that it is working is by conducting what’s known as hydrostatic testing of fire extinguishers. However, since many building owners do not know how to do this, it is best to leave it to the experts. Here is more information about hydrostatic testing of fire extinguishers.

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fire suppression

Fire Suppression Contractors on Food Industry Fire Safety

In the food industry, the kitchen is where the action is. It’s where the best chefs work and where the delectable food that keeps patrons coming back time and time again is crafted. But where there is heat, there is the danger of fire. And fire suppression contractors have something to say about it.

Fires are more likely to take place in a restaurant than almost any other kind of trade. With frequent exposure to high heat, fires can break out for an assortment of reasons. In spite of why a fire starts out, what is vital is suppressing the fire as rapidly as possible. Water on average is not an option, as grease fires increase with the addition of water, while extinguishers may damage all of the food and produce within of the kitchen when avoidable. Restaurant fire suppression contractors recommend an exclusive way of putting out a fire fast and efficiently. If you are at present on the market for a control system, or are fascinated in the restaurant trade and want to know how best to care for your investment, the best restaurant fire control systems provide you this means.

Fire safety in commercial kitchens achieved with hood suppression systems

Fire Suppression Systems are Your First Line of Defense


As per the National Restaurant Association, 57% of all restaurant fires are caused by cooking tools. This means the fire can be controlled if you have a control system set up. Properly training your employees, maintenance of grease and having a fire extinguisher available when a fire breaks out in former circumstances is still vital, but you can reduce your fire possibility by nearly 60%. As a result, the fire control system directly becomes your first line of defense. You just require knowing more regarding it and how it works.

The Basics of the Food Industry Fire Suppression Systems


Different brands offer little difference in features. For the most part however, fire suppression contractors suggest a control system will give you with the usual fundamental features. The control system connects to both the covering over your cooking place and the gas line running through the cooking place. If the fire control system is triggered, the gas line mechanically shuts fire suppression systems off. This kills the fuel foundation of the fire. Currently, depending on the fire (such as a grease fire), it could still burn on and threaten to increase. Due to this, there is a minor element to the system, intended to put out the left behind flames.

Nozzles are installed with the ventilation system in the hood over your cooking place. When triggered, the nozzles release a specially calculated fire suppressant. The suppressant is a water-based substance with a special compound intended to fight grease fires. As the extinguished fire creates a substantial quantity of smoke, the covering kicks on, removing the smoke from the kitchen.

Easy to Use With Manual Options


Restaurant fire control systems are usually easy to use. Much like the sprinkler system running through specialized buildings, the control kicks on when it detects flames and increasing heat. Different systems do have diverse behaviour of detecting a fire, so be certain to look into this when discussing the setting up with a service provider. Once triggered, the two-prong approach kicks in rapidly to eradicate the fuel cause at the same time as dousing the flames. This keeps possible financial loss to the lowest, with only the food on the cooking surface damaged.

According to fire suppression contractors, most fires start in the kitchen

Manual launch should come as an alternative. As is the case of fires when a sprinkler system is there, if the selected trigger is not activated, the nozzle system might not turn on until the fire has increased away from the cooking surface. To stop this from happening, a manual launch point on the restaurant fire control systems allows an operator to turn on control, killing the flames rapidly.

Finding the Right Fire Suppression Systems According to Fire Suppression Contractors


Control systems come in a lot of different size variants. Such a system is typically installed into the current covering of a kitchen. This gives the setting up service providers the ability to adjust the size of the system and the amount of liquid fire suppressant readily available. Whilst no two restaurants are precisely similar, most kitchens share a comparable character, so having this kind of setup installed is not hard and can be modified to fit the restaurant’s requirements.

Employee safety is the main concern for any company. As an owner, it is your job to offer the best product in the safest way possible. Restaurant fire suppression systems let you to do just that, whilst protecting your financial and real estate investments from fire damage.

office fire at its peak

How to Guarantee Office Fire Protection

“Putting out a fire” is a normal phrase used by business people every day. But what if the fire is more than a metaphor? Are you aware of what to do to lessen the likelihood of an office fire breaking out — and exactly know how to react if one does? Is your office prepared with fire protection materials?

What do you — and your staff — need to know to eliminate the odds that your office becomes another statistic? It begins with the four P’s of fire protection and prevention: plan, procure, practice and prevent.

office fire

Plan

The size of the office or the number of employees does not matter, someone should be voted as the safety officer. This individual leads the plan and procedures for an emergency response plan, which includes:

Escape Routes and Meeting Places: Know and mark the fastest and safest paths to safety. Provide maps (with “you are here” marks) in breakrooms and nearby exits — which should be indicated clearly with signs. Create and put up reminders that elevators should not be used during most emergencies. Check emergency lighting in stairwells and make sure they are not used as storage areas. Make a procedure for employees to exit and patrons with special needs, especially if the exit route has stairs. Select a meeting place far enough from the building to create full access to firefighters and other emergency individuals.
Emergency Procedures: Asure employees are aware that the safety officer is in charge of emergencies. Know them by name and title, the people responsible for informing the fire department, accounting for employees at the meeting place and helping emergency personnel with knowledge on where the equipment or chemicals are housed in the building. Keep a comprehensive list of emergency contact information. Outline who notifies the next of kin of injured staff members, and assign one person to alert emergency responders of individuals that are still in the facility or unaccounted for.

Procure

There are some specific items you need for fire safety, such as fire extinguishers and smoke alarms — but most commercial buildings need to have these items installed to meet local building codes. Check with your fire marshal to learn more about the requirements for your municipality. Check alarms and check fire extinguisher charges each month; replace/recharge quickly as indicated.

Additional emergency supplies include first aid kit, bottled water and some flashlights.

Practice

Hold drills and review procedures as frequent as possible, and add emergency response information orientation for new employees. Play the alarm to ensure employees know what it sounds like — it can be a beep, a horn and/or an overhead announcement — and what to do next when they hear it. Check nuisance alarms so the staff don’t start ignoring the sound. Add real-time shutting down of critical equipment if needed by law or regulation in the event of an emergency. Run contests to see how quickly your staff can exit their workspace, let them know that personal items may need to be left behind. Ask the fire department to conduct periodic training/orientations for all employees on how to use a fire extinguisher.

office fire protection

Prevent

  • Follow manufacturers’ recommendations for maximum volt/wattage load for surge protectors, power strips and adapters, and ask your electrician to periodically check these items and outlets for potential overload
  • Replace old power cords; never run have under rugs or carpeting, use cord protectors if needed
  • Unplug appliances (coffeemakers, microwaves) and other equipment not in use at the end of the day and over the weekend
  • Replace devices that feel warm or hot to touch
  • Ask the fire marshal for the inspection of chemical and equipment storage areas periodically to make sure proper ventilation and storage
  • Store hazardous materials according to the manufacturers’ instructions and OSHA regulations. Clearly indicate these items to assist emergency personnel to identify and stabilize them.
  • Don’t let fire doors open or block exits with furniture or boxes
  • Don’t allow paper and other trash to litter outside of garbage or recycling bins, and never store these materials near hot equipment, electrical outlets or the smoking areas
  • Don’t allow your employees to burn candles, scented oils, etc., even in their designated work areas

Following the four P’s is a great fire protection for your business and your employees. Having an evacuation plan and completing a fire drill will make sure that employees know what to do in case of a real fire emergency.

After all those fire drills in school, a lot of us take fire protection and prevention and safety for granted. That’s why it’s important for business owners, office managers and safety officers to set the right tone. If you don’t take it seriously, your staff won’t either. It’s a lot easier to prepare for an emergency than to explain why you did not.