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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An Introduction to Fire Sprinkler System Maintenance

If your building is outfitted with a sprinkler system, you’re right to feel a bit safer. You can rest easy knowing that, should a fire break out, your system will immediately react to keep everyone safe by containing the outbreak until the fire department arrives. However, this will only happen if you’ve been practicing sound fire sprinkler system maintenance. Systems that aren’t properly maintained may not work as they’re supposed to and that could end up costing you the ultimate price. So let’s take a look at what goes into fire sprinkler system maintenance and then take action to ensure you’re doing what’s necessary.



 
How Sprinklers Work
First, however, let’s take a quick look at how your fire sprinklers actually work. In the movies, at the first hint of fire, every sprinkler on the building’s floor goes off, covering the entire area in water.
That’s not how it actually works though. Each sprinkler head is designed to only go off when the area around it is hot enough to melt the fusible link blocking the flow of water. So a fire could actually only activate one or two heads, which then work to contain the flames until the authorities make it to the scene.
Why is this important? We’ll elaborate shortly, but the takeaway is that each head needs its own maintenance. It’s not like they all run on a single activation system and if one isn’t working correctly, the others will just pick up the slack.
 

The Control Valve
Any discussion on fire sprinkler system maintenance needs to touch on the control valve. It’s an essential part of any fire sprinkler system, and also an easy one to inspect. Essentially, there’s a valve in your building that must remain open in order for the water supply to flow. If this valve is off, your sprinklers will get no water and be useless in the case of a fire. Unfortunately, closed valves are the leading cause of widespread fire damage.
The good news is that checking the valve is probably the easiest component of fire sprinkler system maintenance. Just take a look once a week to ensure it’s still locked in the open position.
Also, sometimes the valve needs to be shut off to conduct maintenance or handle repairs on your system. When this is the case, be sure water is only shut off to the one area where the work is being done and only for as long as completely necessary. There’s no reason to take unnecessary risks.



 
Inspecting Sprinklers
When you want to inspect the actual sprinklers, you need to turn off the valve, as we just mentioned. It’s a good idea to put a brightly colored tag or ribbon on the valve when you do this as a visual reminder to you or anyone else who passes by that the valve needs to be turned back on later.
Also, alert the local authorities that you’re conducting fire sprinkler system maintenance. Your alarm company should know too in case you need to set yours off for a drill or as part of repairs. It’s also not a bad idea to tell your insurance company. Sometimes this is mandatory if it means keeping yourself covered by conducting regular fire sprinkler system maintenance.
Like we already said, keep your inspection to only as many sprinklers as necessary and allow the rest to operate as normal. You also want to make sure that you keep any ignition sources out of the area for the duration of the inspection.
In terms of how often you should conduct maintenance on your sprinklers, check NFPA 25: Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. Depending on your municipality, you may need a certified contractor to handle your inspections and testing for you.
 

General Understanding
When it comes to your fire sprinkler system maintenance, no matter what rules you’re bound to by local powers and your insurance company, make sure your staff has a general understanding of the system. This should include:
•    Where the valve is and what it looks like when it’s open and closed
•    What a sprinkler looks like if anything’s wrong
•    Ensuring sprinklers are never blocked


Maintaining your fire sprinklers doesn’t need to be demanding, but it does need to get done. The simple steps above could be enough to save lives someday.

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

 

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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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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.  

6 Point Checklist When Hiring a Fire Protection Contractor

Many business owners lack the time and energy to invest into learning extensively about fire protection in the workplace.  While it is important to understand the basics, these entrepreneurs respect their limits and often hire a professional to lend their expertise in fire safety. These contractors can assist with all fire protection services from sprinkle installation to fire evacuation training. Below are some tips for hiring a fire protection contractor at your workplace.

1. Evaluate Your Environment – Before they can help you, a fire protection contractor will need to understand your environment to provide services necessary for your unique situation. Does your business come in contact with hazardous materials?  Are you a restaurant using oils and fats?  These are important questions to ask yourself and ones that a professional will as well.

2. Know Your Needs – For the most part, you know you will need a fire sprinkler system and extinguisher in your place of business, but what else?  Knowing your needs will help the provider prepare a comprehensive package of fire protection services. During this time, you should also evaluate your limits. If you are under-informed on the subject, you may need to rely on your contractor more to perform necessary maintenance and inspections.

3. Follow Code – While you may not need to know every code and law out there, knowing the basics of local and municipal fire codes is a must for any business owner. An experienced professional will be able to help you meet these requirements while also making sure you follow the lesser-known guidelines as well. This partner can prove invaluable in providing expertise in a difficult to understand aspect of fire protection.

4. Experience Is A Must – When hiring a fire protection contractor, you will want to find one with experience in the field.  You will also want them to have exposure to working in a setting similar to yours.  This will assure that they can address concerns relevant to your industry.  You can also research their credentials and fire protection services online. Many reputable businesses now have at least a basic website that lists their certifications, specialties, and offerings.

5. Bundle Services – Providing further cost-savings to their customers, many fire protection contractors offer bundled services. These comprehensive programs typically include installation, maintenance, and inspection of all fire protection tools. By securing an on-going relationship with the fire safety expert, business owners can provide a safe environment for their employees for years to come with little effort scheduling appointments and up-keeping a system.

6. Include Training In The Contract – Ask your fire protection contractor if they also provide training. Workshops for employees that include fire extinguisher instructions and fire evacuation procedures are invaluable in establishing a sound safety program. If you don’t feel comfortable conducting these sessions or lack the knowledge to do so, hire the professional to do the work.

Leaving the fire protection at your place of business to chance is a dangerous endeavor. Hiring a fire protection partner that can assist you in your system for years to come will not only offer security in the building but also piece of mind.  Using these 6 tips when hiring a contractor, you are sure to find a professional that is a perfect match.