Options for Fire Protection Services

Fire is a very scary threat we must all consider, whether we’re talking about homes or commercial properties. Both host a number of electronic devices, the wires that go with them and other items that could easily start a fire. While it’s important to remember that such an incident is extremely rare, that’s no reason not to be prepared. Today there are more fire protection services than ever before. The following are examples that deserve your consideration.

Fire Extinguishers
This is an obvious one that most people are familiar with. If a fire breaks out, fire extinguishers are a great way to respond. They’re especially good for small ones that can be easily contained, but would otherwise turn into a much greater problem. Someone with an extinguisher can eliminate the threat in seconds.

Though they’re fairly user friendly, many people don’t know how they work. All you have to do is remember the acronym, P.A.S.S. It stands for:
•    Pull the pin out. Once the pin is removed, you want to hold the nozzle away from you before releasing the locking mechanism.
•    Aim the nozzle low. You always want to aim the extinguisher at the lowest point of the fire.
•    Slowly squeeze the lever. Provide even pressure so as not to slip or jerk the extinguisher around.
•    Sweep your nozzle back and forth to make sure the fire is completely covered.
For best results, make sure your fire extinguisher is always easy to find. At home, your whole family should be reminded where it is. In a commercial building, it should be mounted on a wall with a sign that indicates its location. In both situations, you need to train people in how to use it.
Every six years, your extinguisher needs to be inspected, especially the gauge as pressure may have dropped if the container was compromised.
Smoke Detectors
Obviously, another hallmark of fire protection services is a smoke detector. These are especially good for the home when people may not be in the room when a fire is starting. Nonetheless, this important component of your fire protection services can help alert you to its presence. Just be sure you test your unit once a month to ensure it’s still working properly.

Sprinkler Systems
Even if you have a fire extinguisher handy, nothing compares to a fire sprinkler system. Each head is only activated if the temperature around it gets to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, a glass valve breaks and allows water to pour forward.
The great thing about this system is that it doesn’t need a human to activate or use it. No one even needs to be present for a sprinkler system to save the day. Even if people are around, they can find safety while the system does its job.
Furthermore, because these sprinklers act independently of one another, property damage is greatly limited. For this reason, insurance companies may give you better premiums because they know that, in case of a fire, your building is better protected and your property is less likely to get damaged.

As with all fire protection services, a sprinkler system needs regular maintenance. Mainly, you should check the valve once a week just to be sure it’s still locked in the open position. You also want to keep an eye on individual sprinkler heads. They should never be obscured, painted over or damaged.

Every few months, have a professional check in on your system to ensure it’s still in working order. Your local municipality and/or insurance company may have something to say about how often you need it looked at too.

Response Plan
No discussion on fire protection services would be complete without talking about a response plan. Whether it’s your family or your staff, you need everyone to know where the exits are around them. Obviously, at home, parents will be in charge of getting everyone out. However, at work, you’ll need to appoint people for the job.
In both scenarios, your fire protection services need to involve practicing the routine so you’re ready to go if you ever actually need it.

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Proper fire protection services don’t need to take a lot of work or even be expensive. However, you do need to be familiar with them and test them regularly to ensure they’ll work when it counts.

How Fire Protection Systems are Safeguarding Hospitals

Hospitals are places where people go to get well and receivelife-saving procedures.  While in the staff’s care, these patients are often very helpless and unable to take care of themselves.  During this vulnerable time, the overall fire safety of all those in the building must be of importance to hospital executives and staff.  For decades, fire protections systems have been safeguarding the hospital industry against deadly fires. While a hospital fire sprinkler system is a necessary tool there are many more pieces of equipment that can be employed in the hospital setting.  Let’s take some time to learn more about what steps the hospital industry must take to ensure the safety of the patients and staff should a fire occur.

First and foremost, all hospital executives must ensure that they have in place a quality, working fire sprinkler system.  The system should be all-encompassing and cover the entire building.  The system should also be flexible enough to handle varying areas.  For example, a system designed for the restaurant industry may be needed for larger kitchen areas and facilities.  One may also want to consider a voice evacuation system in multiple languages.  This system will be able to effectively guide employees and staff out of the building during the event of a fire.
Second, fire doors are also an important tool of defense and the type of door installed can make all the difference.  Fire doors at hospitals must be easy to open and operate as well as able to protect against quick spreading fires and the smoke that comes along with them. A higher rated door will be more able to keep smoke and fire from spreading from room to room.  All corridors should also be protected using strong fire doors fitted for this setup.  When discussing hospitals, we must also take into consideration that certain doors must remain locked for the patient’s safety.  While these doors serve a security function, care must also be taken to ensure they are able to be opened in case of any emergency.
Finally, hospitals should be hiring professional fire protection contractors to assist them in thefire safety installations and maintenance.  These professional in the field can provide information on local and industry-specific ordinances and laws as well as fire safety inspections on the property.  The contractor can also suggest the latest in a hospital fire sprinkler system, fire doors, and other equipment that one may not be aware of.  Lastly, they can offer guidance on proper maintenance needed on the equipment explaining how the process works and how often it should be completed.
Hospitals often are a sanctuary for those without the ability to help themselves during a critical point in their lives.  During this time, it is of the upmost importance that those running these facilities take all necessary steps to protect them from the threat of fires.  A hospital can benefit from a quality fire sprinkler systems as well as many other pieces of equipment all designed with the hospital industry in mind.
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Protecting Your Warehouse: Fire Safety

Warehouses pose a unique challenge when protecting commercial buildings from fire.  They often are overstuffed with machinery, paper, and other materials that can catch ablaze easily.  While protecting your warehouse with a fire sprinkler system is common practice, there are many other things to consider when discussing the subject.  If you are a warehouse manager or run a small business, take note of the ways listed below to protect your place of business by using warehouse fire sprinkler system. The list is a mix of traditional approaches like a quality fire sprinkler system along with a few tips you may not have thought of.

Below are some ways to integrate fire safety practices into the warehouse:
Don’t Be Fooled – Just because you own a warehouse fire sprinkler system or passed an OSHA inspection; do not be fooled into thinking your business is protected from fires starting in the building.  There are many other potential dangers that could be hidden within your structure along with poor practices by your employees or contractors.

Protect Against Arson – While the majority of fires are set accidentally, some warehouse fires are caused by arson at the hands of other people.  To protect the warehouse from arson and break-ins, protect it with a quality alarm system.  These systems can offer motion detection or perimeter protection depending on the physical structure of the building and personal preference.

Store Pallets the Right Way – Wooden pallets are a huge help to carry loads and cargo in and out of the building.  They speed up processes and keep the plant moving.  These wooden carriers also pose a fire danger because of the material they are constructed of and the large amount of units that can be stored together.  Wooden pallets should be kept at least 3 inches apart when stored side-by-side.   When storing back to back, leave a 6 inch gap between the pallets. Vertically, your warehouse workers should also leave a 1 ½ to 2 foot gap between your pallet stacks and the fire sprinkler system.

Smoking Rules–Lit ambers from cigarettes are a huge threat to combustible materials and those items prone to catching fire such as paper and wood.  Employ reasonable smoking policies for your employees keeping their cigarettes away from these threats.  Regardless of your personal choices, no employees should smoke within the warehouse building.  One can also develop guidelines on how far employees must be away from the building to light a cigarette.  Another suggestion is to establish a designated smoking area away from potential fire hazards.
You could take the initiative one step further and make your business a non-smoking campus. With this rule, employees would not be able to smoke anywhere on business property and would have to leave during breaks to keep up their habit.

Taking your warehouse’s fire safety practices from the minimal warehouse fire sprinkler system to an all-encompassing protective program will keep your workers, products, and equipment safe from deadly fires. By employing these tips, you are taking a pro-active approach sure to set your company apart from the rest. If you are unsure of where to begin or don’t have the time to implement these tips, you may want to consider contacting a local professional for help. They will have the resources and expertise to take your business to the next level in fire safety.
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What You Need to Know about Fire Sprinkler Inspection

If your building is outfitted with fire sprinklers, you probably benefit from peace of mind that, should the worst happen, you and others will be protected. Those sprinklers may also save plenty of your property too. Obviously, it’s important that you’re meeting building code demands as well. However, if you don’t conduct a regular fire sprinkler inspection, that peace of mind may be a mirage that goes up in smoke if your building ever catches fire. The following is what you need to know to ensure your fire sprinkler inspection is working to keep you, others, and your property safe.

How Often You Need to Conduct a Fire Sprinkler Inspection

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you check the control valves of your system every week if they’re not assisted by electronic supervision. This way you know they’re in the open position and ready to send water to your sprinklers should a fire break out. Fortunately, this inspection won’t take long at all.

If your system is aided by electronic supervision of some sort, check your manufacturer’s manual for a recommendation. Checking the control valve should probably be unnecessary, but given how quick you can do it, many might consider it worth a few minutes a week.

 

Fire spinkler inspection

 

About every three months, a more comprehensive fire sprinkler inspection should be carried out by a knowledgeable and credentialed professional. Once again, your need may differ some here depending on the city and state your building is located in. So check with both to ensure you’re not violating code requirements.

Fortunately, many fire sprinkler companies offer long-term service agreements. This will guarantee regular and affordable inspections by a knowledgeable professional that is familiar with your specific system.

Even if yours doesn’t, many local contractors will essentially offer you a similar detail. Plus, they’ll be familiar with local codes, so you’ll be assured your sprinklers are operating within the law.

Lastly, your insurance company may have their own requirements. Even your local fire department might have their own, separate from those of the city and state. Obviously it pays to make sure you’re inspecting in accordance with these demands. Should a fire occur, your insurance company may not be liable to help if they can prove you were neglecting regular inspections. Whether you have a local contractor or someone from the fire sprinkler company carry out the inspection, be sure they provide you with a certificate that you can present to the necessary authorities as proof.

Other Times You Need a Fire Sprinkler Inspection

Aside from the regular schedule outlined above, there are other times when it’s appropriate to hold a fire sprinkler inspection. Generally speaking they are:

• If the building’s structure changes
• If the building’s use changes
• If the water supply is altered

It should go without saying that if there are ever any changes to the actual structure of the building, an inspection should occur. Fire sprinklers are installed specifically for the structure they’re meant to protect. So any alteration to it could affect their ability to do their job. If you change the way the building is used, it’s also important you check the sprinklers to ensure they’ll still be able to reach all its critical parts.

Obviously, if anything permanently alters the building’s water supply, an inspection has to be done. Without the right connection to the supply, your sprinklers are little more than decoration. Similarly, if anything ever temporarily happens to the water supply—if the pressure drops one day or it stops working for some reason—you need to inspect your sprinklers, even if the supply bounces right back.

Responsibilities of Occupants

Again, an actual fire sprinkler inspection should be handled by a qualified professional (checking the water valve once a week doesn’t count). However, the building’s occupants can also play a role in keeping sprinklers working.

For one thing, never paint over them. Don’t hang anything on them either. The sprinklers always need their space, so items should never be stacked too close to them or plants allowed to grow to the point that they’re blocking them. Of course, anything that even resembles damage to a sprinkler should be reported immediately.

So long as the above is observed in terms of inspecting your fire sprinklers and keeping them unobstructed, you should have nothing to worry about in terms of them working as planned.

 

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Here’s What You Need to Know about a Commercial Fire Sprinkler System

Although it’s not something most of us want to consider, the truth is that a fire breaking out in our commercial building is always a possibility. Nowadays, with all kinds of wires and power sources in most buildings, it wouldn’t even take much. Fortunately, thanks to a commercial fire sprinkler system, it doesn’t have to take much to put the fire out either, saving lives and property. If your building doesn’t currently have one, here’s what you need to know.

commercial fire sprinkler system

They Limit Property Damage

When a fire breaks out, most people don’t think about property damage. They think about getting to safety as soon as possible. However, when considering a commercial fire sprinkler system, a lot of people do wonder if it’s worth the risk. After all, in the movies, when a sprinkler head goes off, the entire room is wet within seconds.

Fortunately, those incidents are rare—as in, they only happen in the movies. In real life, one of the advantages of a commercial fire sprinkler system is that it limits property damage sometimes by as much as 65%.

That’s because every head actually works on its own. Each contains a glass vile filled with a chemical that expands when heated. The vile works as a sort of stopper, blocking the water supply concealed behind the ceiling. When the heat reaches roughly 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the chemical in the vile breaks it open and water is free to put out the fire.

However, sprinklers in the surrounding area that never experienced the heat don’t do a thing. So the fire is contained and as much property as possible stays untouched by water.

Insurance Companies Love Them

Given that commercial fire sprinkler systems leave property alone as much as possible, it should be no surprise that insurance companies are quite fond of them. We’ll cover costs in a second, but one thing you need to consider when looking at an estimate is how much you will save when an insurance company underwrites your structure and the sprinkler system involved.

Cost

As with any addition to a structure, cost must be considered. Fortunately, when it comes to that commercial fire sprinkler system, safety is actually relatively affordable. If you’re going to install one while in the midst of construction, an entire commercial fire sprinkler system will only run you about $2 a square foot, at most.

If you need to retrofit your existing structure, that estimate may still hold. At most, though, it will cost roughly $7 per square foot. For a high rise building, cut that estimate in half.

Putting a fire sprinkler system in a historic building is where you might have to drop some serious money. That could cost you as much as $10 a square foot. However, when you think about how much damage a fire could do to historic buildings, the investment is an obvious choice. Most of the extra cost is also due to design features that must be maintained. So many historic structures can get a system for far less.

Safer for People

In the face of a fire, most of us would be out the door and a mile away as soon as possible. However, some people may stay back to fight the flames. While this is admirable, it’s also risky for all kinds of reasons. Fortunately, a commercial fire sprinkler system also makes this unnecessary. As they don’t need a person to activate or control them, everyone is free to head for safety and let the sprinklers do their part.

Automatic

Let’s expand on that some more. Your sprinkler system doesn’t need anyone to work it. That also means it’s far less susceptible to human error (the only way a person could trip up a sprinkler system is by shutting the water supply off). Someone could easily mess up using a fire extinguisher or even make matters worse with it. That will never happen with a fire sprinkler system.

As you can see, there’s no reason your commercial property should be going without a sprinkler system. They’re:

• Affordable to install
• Loved by insurance companies
• Safer for people and property
• Activated automatically

 So begin looking into installing a commercial fire sprinkler system today and enjoy a safer future.

Are You Handling Fire Extinguisher Inspection Correctly?

Just about every home and building has a fire extinguisher located in it somewhere. Even those with sprinkler systems generally have fire extinguishers located throughout in case of an emergency. While fire extinguishers are both convenient and efficient, they still need attention. Without a proper fire extinguisher inspection, you could suddenly have a bad situation turn much worse. Fortunately, fire extinguisher inspection doesn’t demand much. Keep reading for a quick tutorial on the matter.

How Often Do I Need to Inspect My Fire Extinguisher?

Fire extinguisher inspections should happen ever six years. However, a fire extinguisher must always be inspected when:

• It’s been used
• The pin has either been pulled or otherwise moved
• The gauge is not in the proper pressure area (usually green)

Check with your insurance company too, as they may have different demands regarding when you need to inspect extinguishers.

Who Can Inspect Them?

The ability to inspect fire extinguishers is covered by 29 CFR 1910.157 of the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If it’s a private residence, you may be ok to do it. However, for most businesses, your insurance company will probably have rules about a qualified contractor being in charge of inspecting it. Local governments will also have their own take.

Ensuring They’re Approved

There are many different kinds of fire extinguishers, designated by their class (which generally refers to what they use to put out fires). So whenever you do your fire extinguisher inspection, be sure you check to confirm yours is still approved either by your local municipality or your insurance company. In terms of government regulations, you can check 29 CFR 1910.157(c)(2) to make sure yours is still ok.

Making Them Available

Obviously, a fire extinguisher is no good if it can’t be found in the case of a fire. You also need to make sure it is extremely easy to locate because the panic a fire will cause can cloud people’s ability to think straight or remember where they saw it before.

So part of your fire extinguisher inspection needs to involve making sure all of yours are still in easy to spot locations. They have to be mounted on the wall, so they’re not missed by being too low. These locations should also be well marked.

It’s ok if you house your fire extinguisher in a cabinet or mounted box. However, part of your fire extinguisher inspection then means making sure that it is unobstructed and easily opened. If the cabinet or box is opaque, you have to make sure you label the outside so people know it contains a fire extinguisher.

Checking the Fire Extinguisher

Your fire extinguisher inspection wouldn’t be worth much if you didn’t actually check on the device itself. You won’t actually test it out, but you do have to check some key factors. One we already touched on is that the gauge needs to record that it’s ready to work by either showing the approved pressure or simply being in the green.

You want to inspect the extinguisher itself to make sure the unit isn’t banged up in any way, that the hose and nozzle are unobstructed and that the lever is in good shape and won’t be blocked when someone has to squeeze it.

Instructing Others

While this isn’t part of any official instruction, it’s worthwhile to take a moment during your fire extinguisher inspection to see that your staff understands where to find them in case of an emergency. You should also take a few minutes to ensure everyone knows how they work too. The easiest way to remember is with the acronym, P.A.S.S. It stands for:

• Pull out the pin
• Aim the hose low (you want to hit the base of the fire)
• Slowly squeeze the lever with even pressure
• Sweep the extinguisher’s nozzle from side to side so that it covers the entire base of the fire

It’s a good idea to read the instructions that came with your fire extinguisher just to make sure this is accurate. Again, not all extinguishers are the same, so it’s worth looking into.

Fire extinguishers aren’t the most complicated devices in the world, but they could easily save many lives. So take a moment to inspect them by following the above rules so you know they’ll work when it’s most important.

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Get innovative and professional fire protection services now!

Fire is the most disastrous natural calamity that can happen anytime and anywhere without any prior intimation. There are many causes of fire as it can happen from a natural calamity or by an individual. Whatever be the reason of occurrence of fire, it will ultimately lead to the loss of valuable assets and also the lives of your dear ones. Fire protection equipment is not enough to safeguard your house, organization or family members’ from the fire. Due to this reason, fire protection companies came into existence that offers standard fire protection services.

Skilled professionals of these companies have optimum knowledge of fire protection schemes which they can apply in an effective and excellent way. Fire protection services help you to protect all the valuables from the trap of the fire. These fire protection service agents offer training programs for the people. They install high quality protection systems in the residential as well as commercial buildings and provide full coverage of the fire. Commercial buildings have different requirements as well as the residential buildings have other, the professionals install the protection system in such a way that caters the needs and requirements of the customers in a true way.

Fire Sprinkler System – A necessity for warehouse safety

One of the most challenging tasks is to prevent the warehouse from fire. Today, most of the organizations have their own warehouse to keep goods in a safe and proper manner. A warehouse contains goods in large quantity and they are especially subjected to rapidly catch the fire with the high intensity. The only method to control and prevent the extensive fire is to install and maintain the fire safety equipment.

It would be better to install the automatic fire sprinkler system into your warehouse.  These sprinkler systems need proper repair and maintenance for the tight connections. An inspection is mandatory to examine the correctness of the equipment. You can resolve all the issues with timely inspection. If you are not sure on where to begin, hire an expert to complete the inspection. If you hire a professional for warehouse fire sprinkler system inspection, you can make the environment of the building safe and secure.  The alarm should always be in working condition so that it gets immediately activated in sudden case of fire. All the employees working at the warehouse should have the knowledge of how to operate the equipment. If you want to cut down the cost of the insurance, carry out repair and maintenance activities on a timely basis.

Achieve the desired level of safety with fire protection systems

Life is very precious and it is the top most need to protect it. Each year fire is responsible for the damages and lives of many people. This ultimately results in the loss of billions worldwide.  Fire has devastating effects on businesses and families. Many commercial and residential properties are required to install the fire protection systems to avoid loss of too many lives and damages.

Fire protection systems are those systems that are put into place to prevent the unwanted effects of fire. Fire equipment can control the deaths causes due to fire. The modern project design should incorporate the automatic and cost-effective fire protection systems. These systems are very effective in controlling, detecting or extinguishing fire at the earliest stage. For the proper installation of equipment, you must hire an engineer to ensure a high degree of protection to human life as well as to reduce severe loss from fire. The engineers know about all the technical details of fire protection systems. It is necessary to plan and analyze the area in which you are going to install the equipment. This analysis is required to protect the building in a proper way to achieve the high level of safety.