2014 Trends for Fire Protection

When we think of fire protection services, we often think of the usual -- fire sprinklers, a bright, red fire extinguisher and loud fire bells.  While these standards are still relevant, the year 2014 will see a welcoming of both technology and style into the industry.  These trends will not only keep us safer but also fit seamlessly into our modern, chic homes.  Below we examine three big trends that will be hitting the world of fire protections services.  Read more about this new equipment to see if any may be a fit for you.



Fire Retardant Materials
Fire retardant materials are now more versatile than ever as manufacturers continue to improve the technology.  Treating the items with a fire retardant chemical, many types of fabric can be used including cotton, silk, nylon, and even velvet.   A popular consumer product that has been chemically treated for years is children’s pajama sets with treating on both the PJ tops and bottoms.  These treated fabrics are extremely helpful in case of a fire as they will not ignite with flames.  The fire retardant process can also be applied to existing materials throughout the home or workplace.

Voice Evacuation Systems
Voice evacuation systems are quickly becoming popular technology advancements in the fire protection services world.  These units work much like a typical fire alarm system with the ability for the unit to detect smoke and temperature.  Once activated, the voice will direct people on what to do and where to go.  Many companies are also tying in varying languages and messages to meet the ever-changing demands.  This feature has been further expanded with the integration of both music and instruments into the evacuation message.

Stainless Steel Fire Extinguishers
Stainless steel isn’t just for residential kitchen appliances anymore.  This stylish metal is also great for equipment in the home built to put out fires such as fire extinguishers.  Fire extinguisher manufacturers are taking note of this trend that has been around for years and is now here to stay.  To address their customer’s desire for both form and function, the fire extinguisher industry has met the demand by incorporating this design feature into their units making them both beautiful and functional. Rather than having an eye sore sticking out with the typical red extinguisher, this steel model can fit anywhere and blend into its surroundings with ease.

If your home or business is already fully protected, you may not see a need to add any more fire protection services to your arsenal.  But if you are lacking some needed protection try incorporating these three trends for 2014.  The voice evacuation system would be an excellent safeguard for a large building or office complex.  A stainless steel extinguisher would be a perfect fit for a kitchen blending in nicely with your stainless steel oven and refrigerator.  Fire retardant materials can be outfitted pretty much anywhere you use fabric whether it is in the office furniture or on your living room drapes. Keeping you safe in 2014, these three fire protection services trends are here to stay. 

Having specialized in the Fire Protection Services signs trade for over 25 years, USAFP now works tirelessly to promote affordable fire safety for home and for business.



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7 Tips for Fire Safety in the Workplace

Back in a previous life, I worked in retail. You could hear the serious gulps from my manager anytime he saw a certain person walk in the door – a firefighter.  He would dart his eyes my way and I knew what to do.  I would quickly, but discreetly, make my way to the back room and shove as many boxes away from the service door as I could.  I didn’t care where they went or how they landed; I just wanted us to pass inspection.  Looking back, this was not a safe practice for the employees, the customers shopping, or our merchandise.  Fire safety in the workplace is serious business.  How does your business rank on its fire safeguards?

Below I cover seven tips for fireplace safety in the workplace.

Never Block the Exits–Every business, including retail stores in the mall, should follow this rule every single minute of every single day.  Blocking the exits with garbage, boxes, or displays prevent people from getting out in the event of a fire.

Keep It Clean – Debris on the floor can make someone trip or fall if heading to the exit during a fire.  Also overflowing garbage or dust and other rubbish near electrical outlets and electronic machinery can create prime conditions for flames to start.

Use a Fire Sprinkler System–A good quality fire sprinkler system can help your business put out a fire during its early stages resulting in less fatalities and property damage.  Smothering the fire before it can grow, a fire sprinkler system is an effective and reliable tool to implement.  Not sure what your need?  A fire safety contractor can help find a model right for your needs.

Hire Out – Hiring a fire safety contractor to address safety concerns, train your employees, and devise fire plans in case of an emergency can be helpful for those without a safety manager on staff. 

Assess the Risk – Either your own EHS professional or a reputable fire safety contractor should complete a fire risk assessment at your place of business.  During this time, they will check for potential hazards, evaluate your fire suppression tools, and offer suggestions on how you can better protect your building.

Have a Plan – Devise a practical plan on what to do if a fire should occur at your business.  Address different scenarios and places of fire origin as well.  Make sure to inform your employees of the plan and have them practice it.  This practice will help them feel confident in following through with the correct steps you have set forth. 

Train your Employees– Provide education and training to all employees, not just managers, on correct fire safety procedures.  Make them aware of local laws and ordinances that affect your company and show them how to conduct their own fire safety checks on a regular basis.
If you are a small business owner, follow these seven fire safety tips at your workplace for a safe, hazard-free work environment.  When in doubt, reach out to a professional for help.  And always make sure to follow your local laws and ordinances. 


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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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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.

What Are Fire Department Connections?

When speaking of fire protection systems, we often think of fire sprinklers and extinguishers placed strategically throughout the workplace.  These pieces of equipment are the typical “go-to’s” for business owners looking to protect their place of business from costly and deadly fires. While these parts of fire protections systems do help reduce the spread of a fire, there is also a lesser known tool that can provide life-saving protection should a fire occur in the building. The little-known fire department connections are also helpful in reducing the spread of a fire.

Fire department connections, also known as FDC’s, consists of brass fittings located in the building that allow firemen to connect two hoses to the unit and provide a water supply to put the fire out. In fact, as fire codes continue to evolve and expand, many municipalities require fire department connections for both large to small buildings. What was once commonplace only in vast structures can know be found in smaller offices and outlets.

In this article, we take time to learn more about the types of fire department connections available and how these fire protection systems work.

Exposed FDC
The most common FDC, the exposed unit is mounted on the outside of the building and are typically backed by a stamped plate explaining what it is. For example, the plate could read: automatic sprinkler, standpipe, or automatic sprinkler & stand pipe.

Free Standing FDC
These units are placed on the ground and can typically be found on or around a sidewalk area. The connections are top-mounted at a 90 degree angle and a decorative plate may be placed at its base.

Flush Mount FDC
A flush mount fire department connection is mounted on the inside of building. In this design, only the plate and inlets are typically visible on the outside wall.

Another aspect to be aware of when speaking of fire department connections is why they can be helpful when other tools cannot. Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and other natural disasters can interrupt the water flow to sprinkler systems making these fire protection systems less effective.  In this circumstance, the fire department connection is the first, and only, line of defense in providing much needed water to extinguish the blaze.

If you already have a fire department connection in place, make sure it is clearly marked so that those that would need to access it know where it is. While many have stamped markings on the unit, you may want to consider adding additional signs.  A clearly-marked placard or a free-standing sign near the area are both good ways to let the fire department know where your FDC is. Ensure that it is not covered or blocked by big, heavy items so it can tapped into quickly should the need arise.

Having a fire department connection at your place of business is not only a wise decision but often one necessary to comply with local codes. Knowing how these fire protections systems work and why they are so important will provide a first-line of defense for business owners in both small and large buildings.