Types of Fire Safety Systems | Fire & Wire

Types of Fire Safety Systems

No business can or should overlook the importance of fire safety systems inside its premises. This is for a number of reasons which will heavily impact the company in the event of a fire. Firstly we have to look at the importance of the safety of both employees and customers in the business, this is always our first priority. Secondly there are very clear legal ramifications if a business is not ensuring that it is following fire safety maintenance. And finally there is the cold hard fact that businesses simply are not allowed to trade without a clear fire safety system in place.

There are many aspects of fire system installation, and here are the main areas which will be focused on.

Fire Detection Equipment

Some of the most important tools which we have at our disposal are those which help with fire detection. The most critical of these is of course smoke alarms, which will sound in the event that they detect even the faintest sign of fire. It is not enough to simply install smoke alarms in the property, regular fire safety maintenance must be carried out to ensure that they are working at all times.

Fire Fighting Equipment

In many cases a fire can be put out if it is detected early, which can greatly reduce the amount of damage which it causes, and the risk which a fire would have to human life. There are a number of tools which we have here such as fire blankets, sprinkler systems and a range of fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers come in many types because of the different kinds of fire which there can be. We have extinguishers for electrical fires for example, as well as dry fires and oil fires. It is important that your business has all of the tools available to fight fires, and that they are clearly signed in order to help the user.

Training and Fire Planning 

There is little point in having all of these tools in place if we have not given our staff the right amount of training when it comes to their usage. This can actually be just as critical as installing the equipment in the first place. Your human resources team should not only make sure that every single member of staff in the business is trained, but they must also have regular refreshers to ensure that they have retained that knowledge.

Beyond the training which is required, every person inside the building should have a clear ideas as to what to do when they hear the fire alarm break out. Staff should of course be fully trained on evacuations and customers should be notified with signage which indicates where they should go in the event of a fire alarm.

This is something which no business should take lightly, a fire can break out at any time, for a variety of reasons, and it is critical that a business has a clear plan in place to prevent where possible, to detect the fire and to take action once the fire has started.