Fires are hazardous and can ruin lives within a matter of minutes. For this reason, understanding and following fire compliance rules and practices is absolutely essential. The best way to deal with fires is to prevent them before they happen because once they happen, you may not be able to fully recover from their damage.
Luckily, if you stay diligent and ensure that your building follows fire protection compliance regulations, you will most likely not see any big disastrous fires in your future.
So, what are a few simple practices that you should follow if you want to stay as safe as you can?
One of the worst things about fire outbreaks is that they’re sudden, hard to control and often hard to see coming. Furthermore, some people neglect to keep up with fire compliance regulations because they think that if a fire outbreak hasn’t happened to them before, it’s not going to happen now.
You should never put aside safety practices because you have other things to do. After all, keeping up with your safety procedures could be the thing that saves the lives of you and the others in your building.
It’s very important to stay safe in any kind of building you’re in, and there are also plenty of things you can do to stay safe in your own home. Fire safety practices are a little different when you’re dealing with a large building that’s not just a place of residence.
Five basic fire compliance safety practices that you need to know about if you are a building owner are:
Having A Set Evacuation Procedure That Is Properly Displayed. It would be best if you never think, ‘a fire’s never happened here before, and it never will because I stay safe’ because you never know when disaster can strike. So, even if you follow every fire safety practice you know of, you should always prepare for the possibility that a fire can happen.
So, you need to have a set fire evacuation procedure. Your evacuation procedure should be prominently displayed in areas where anyone in the building can easily read them.
Having Smoke Detectors And Other Fire Compliance Fixtures. Smoke detectors, alarms, automatic sprinklers and other kinds of fire safety fixtures can help you detect and fight any fires that break out. These key appliances can also help people evacuate the premises as soon as they can.
In addition to alarms and automatic systems, you should also have fire extinguishers in easy-to-access areas. Your fire extinguishers should also be working and not expired.
Taking Care Of Any Appliances That Could Possibly Start A Fire. Take a moment to think about your building - do you have any appliances or fixtures that could possibly cause a fire if misused? Things that use flammable fuel, electricity or open flames need to be used properly in order to keep everyone safe.
During your standard building inspections, fire compliance inspections and routine maintenance, you should take the time to make sure any potentially dangerous appliances are working correctly and maintained properly. In addition to that, anyone who uses those fixtures should know how to use them correctly.
Keeping Evacuation Routes Clear. Fire safety doors and routes should always be kept clear and ready to be used, even if everything seems fine. So, never put boxes, palettes or other large items in front of these doors. These bulky items could seriously hinder or trap people who are trying to use these evacuation routes in case of fire.
Keeping Yourself And Employees Familiar With Fire Safety Procedures And Any Current Regulations. One of the most important fire compliance practices you can do is to regularly make sure that you and your employees are all familiar with the fire safety practices that you’re doing. This way, everyone can do their part to stay safe and protect the lives of everyone else in the building.
A simple meeting about what the fire evacuation routes are, how to use a fire extinguisher, what to do in case of fire, how to use potentially dangerous fixtures and more can help your staff stay sharp. Then, if any accidents should happen, they will hopefully be able to remember your words and act accordingly.
Fire compliance isn’t always easy, and dealing with this stressful subject can be challenging. If you are a building owner who’d like some help ensuring that your building is as safe and up to code, our team at Compliance Consultants is here to help. We know all about New Zealand’s building regulations and laws, and we can help you with all of your fire safety needs.
Furthermore, if you do have any issues with your building’s current fire safety practices, we will help you to find a solution that works for you. If you would like to speak to us about any of your concerns or if you have any questions, you can easily reach us through our site’s contact page or by calling us at 0800 325 435.
Keep your building safe by preventing fires before they happen with help from us at Compliance Consultants.