It is important to let your employees in on your fire safety plan.
Every year thousands of companies are affected by injury and loss because of a lack of fire protection planning. Just as you plan out where the items in your facility are going to go, you should be planning out how your employees and visitors should exit your facility in the event of a fire. Below are just some of the practices to help you prepare your facility for a fire emergency.
A Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan
As in any emergency, it is important for your employees to know how to response quickly and know their respective roles and responsibilities. Establish a detailed fire emergency evacuation plan so people know how and when to respond as well as how to get to safety. If employees with special needs need help, make sure to address them in the plan details. To establish a prevention plan, you need to make sure everyone in the facility knows their roles by drawing up a document. Provide them with documentation outlining the employees responsible for combustible materials, fire hazards, and heat-producing equipment. This plan should also outline the procedures necessary to prevent potential emergencies.
Train Team Members
It is important for all employees to receive proper training. On an annual basis, invite a professional instructor from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) to thoroughly train your employees on how to operate a fire extinguisher as well as an update on new and updated regulations.
Maintenance May Be Required
We all know that sometimes employees leave items in the way, but this could be extremely dangerous if these items are blocking an essential part of your fire safety plans like an emergency exit or fire extinguishers. Make sure all fire exits and equipment are accessible at all times. You should also ensure that your exits are properly marked and illuminated by the proper signs at all times. Implement a routine maintenance plan to check for broken or burnt out light bulbs. During this check, you should also test your emergency backup power and lights to ensure they are working.
Proper Housekeeping Techniques
Daily housekeeping tasks play an important role in keeping your facility clear of hazards. Designate employees to make sure trash and packing materials are in their proper containers with a tight-fitting lid. It is also important to make sure all flammable materials and spills are cleaned up immediately to avoid potential hazards.
Creating a Fire Emergency Response Team
This is one of the most important parts of protecting your business and employees from harm. Select a team of individuals who are trained and educated in the fire emergency plan procedures and who are willing to enforce fire codes and prevention methods throughout your business. The members of this team will assist during a fire emergency and will help to guide your employees to safety in the event of an evacuation.
You can never plan too far in advance for a fire emergency. Talk to your employees and hold training sessions annually to you are always ready. For more information on installing fire protection equipment for your business, call Fireline today!
Fire Protection and Prevention with Fireline
At Fireline, we offer an array of portable fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems to keep commercial kitchens safe. Fireline offers the highest quality alarm systems to keep your business safe from fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. We also offer fire suppression systems as well to help keep commercial fires controlled should they break out. Our trained technicians will work with you to determine which air sampling smoke detection system is best for your business. We will also help install and maintain the system for your commercial building.
To get started with Fireline today, or for more information on sprinkler systems call us at 1-800-553-3405, or visit our contact page.
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