Preventing Business Fires

When a fire occurs at your place of business, everything has to be put on hold. Not only is the property and equipment you’ve invested in at risk, but business fires put employees in danger. Purchasing an emergency escape ladder is just one of the precautions you can take to prepare your business for potential disasters.

Here are steps to protect your business from fires:

Report and Address Electrical Hazards- Electrical items that are broken can become dangerous. Fix faulty wiring and malfunctioning electrical equipment before these things spark a fire.

Maintain Industrial Machinery – Friction sparks and overheating can start fires. By staying on top of upkeep you can help prevent major disasters from occurring.  Ensure safety by servicing machines regularly.

Properly Dispose of Hazardous items – Follow procedures for disposal of combustible waste materials. Left unattended, these can make a small fire a much bigger problem.

Keep the Office Organized – If clutter starts to fill your office space, it can become an obstacle for evacuating the building. On higher floors especially, make sure there is an unobstructed path to the location where you store your emergency escape ladder. Also, out of control clutter can become fuel if a fire does start.

Store chemicals safely – Read labels on all stored chemicals to make sure these are kept in the proper environment. Pay special attention to flammable items and store these in a location that allows ventilation. Businesses that store hazardous goods must follow federal, state and local requirements.

Clear Control Panel Path - Make sure control panels can be accessed easily. This allows you to shut of the electricity quickly if necessary.

Monitor Appliances – Unplug appliances like coffeemakers and microwaves when employees are out of the office. Because computers, copy machines and other appliances are often placed throughout the office can all become fire hazards, you may want to put emergency escape ladders on both ends of the building. Fires often divide floors, making it more difficult to leave the building if there is only one exit.

Post an Emergency Action Plan – This document will specify where exits are and where equipment like the fire extinguisher and emergency escape ladder is kept. Post this information in a visible location.

Give the Gift of Safety

Holidays can be a happy and hectic time of year. Think of the ones you care for this season with the gift of safety in their homes. Here are a few facts about home fires and how you can keep your family and friends safer this holiday season!

·         Home fires result in death primarily between the hours of 11PM and 7AM. This is due to families being asleep and unaware of the emergency.

·         ¼ of all fire deaths begin in the bedroom. Having a smoke detector in every room of the house is essential for keeping your loved ones safe.

·         Cooking and heating equipment are the leading causes of home fire deaths. Keeping hot products on ONLY when someone is monitoring them will help to ensure the safety of your family.

·         According to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), only 1/3 of all families are prepared with a home fire escape plan during a time of an emergency. 

Having up-to-date smoke detectors is the first step in keeping your family safe. The second step is to give the gift of a bedroom fire escape ladder. The ladders at ResQLadder.com are specifically designed for homes and offices in times of an emergency escape. Taking the time to equip your family with the escape system they need will provide you with peace of mind. 

Fireplace Safety – How to Protect Your Home

Cold weather is a cozy occasion to light the fireplace in your living room. However, carelessly throwing together a fire without making sure your fireplace and home are ready can be hazardous. You risk subjecting your property to smoke damage, burning furniture and personal items and damaging the structure of your home. If the fire grows, you may endanger your family members and force them to climb down the fire escape ladder in a panic – or worse.   

Review these fireplace safety tips to prevent disaster and ensure that your living room experience is pleasant and warm.

Inside the Fireplace - Use the flu properly. Open the flu before having a fire and close the flu after. Glance up the chimney to make sure it is not blocked. If smoke starts to fill your home rather than flowing up the chimney, there may be something obstructing the chimney. When you build the fire, avoid over-filling the space so much that the lit wood may fall out.

Around the Fireplace- If you have glass doors, open these while the fire is lit. If you have a firescreen, close this while the fire is lit. Move flammable items from the vicinity of the fireplace – furniture, books, newspaper, Christmas trees (these become more dangerous when they start drying out) and reserved firewood. Avoid using wet wood which can cause smoke and soot to build up. Your chimney should have a functional cap, preventing animals or debris from entering it.

Preparing Your Home -Make sure smoke detectors are working. These should be on every level of your home, in all sleeping areas and prepped with working batteries. If you have multiple stories, purchase a fire escape ladder to make sure your family doesn’t get trapped in case of emergency. If you have a few stories, you may want to purchase a fire escape ladder for each one.

Remember this: plan ahead to make your home safe. Make sure everyone in the house knows where your fire extinguisher is and it is easily accessible. While having a fire escape ladder and extinguisher prepares you, in an ideal world you won’t have to use them. As an extra precaution, crack a window while your fireplace is lit.

And never, never leave the house while the fireplace is running.