The purpose of a building’s fire and life safety system is to minimize potential risks to life as well as the property. All commercial properties require regular inspection, maintenance, and testing to ensure their fire and life safety solutions are reliable and functioning properly.
Research shows that fires in commercial properties cost owners approximately $2.4 billion every year.
When properly inspected and maintained, fire and life safety solutions are among the most effective and reliable commercial security measures to ensure the safety of the building, customers, and employees. Therefore, you must take the need for fire and life safety solutions seriously. Whether you own a luxury restaurant or grocery store, you must carefully assess and evaluate the state of your fire and life safety measures to ensure they can perform optimally in case of an accident or emergency.
Why You Should Regularly Inspect Fire and Life Safety Solutions in Your Commercial Property
Let’s look at the benefits of regularly inspecting fire and life safety solutions in commercial buildings.
Regular inspections can help a great deal in ensuring the fire and life safety systems in your commercial property are working as required and in a good shape. From fire alarms to water sprinklers, professional fire and life safety inspection and maintenance services cover everything.
Not only this but regular inspections also ensure the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) regulations are met. Most fire and life safety system inspections include the following:
- Fire alarms — Heat and smoke detectors, batteries, annunciators and zones, flow switches, low-pressure alarms, activations and output relays, and switches, and supervised control valves.
- Fire suppression systems — Carbon monoxide, chemical clean agent, inert gas, and water-based suppression systems.
- Fire safety exit signs
- Fire extinguishers
- Backflow preventer assemblies
Identify the Scope for Updates and Upgrades
By regularly inspecting the fire and life safety solutions in your commercial property, you can easily identify components or systems that need to be upgraded or updated. For example, upgrading a traditional fire alarm system to an advanced fire safety system that provides remote monitoring capability can help a great deal in enhancing the security of your business.
Revamp Building Access and Emergency Evacuation Routes
Open areas in a commercial property are one of the most useful fire safety measures in fire and life safety management. Per the NFPA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), commercial buildings should have easy access to doors, windows, and other areas that provide access in and out of the building in case of fire.
Therefore, regular inspection of fire and life safety solutions also includes inspection building access and emergency evacuation routes to check for:
- Unobstructed entry and exit doors
- Overhead doors
- Stairways
- Pathways
- Hallways
- Windows
Avoid Penalties
Regular inspections of fire and life safety solutions also help in ensuring organizations do not pay massive fines for non-compliance with fire and life safety codes.
Fire and life safety codes your organization needs to adhere to avoid penalties:
- NFPA 72 or National Fire Alarm Signaling Code to ensure all fire alarms are compliant
- NFPA 75 or Standard for the Fire Protection of Information Technology Equipment; standards for automatic detection systems, automatic fire protection systems, portable fire extinguishers, and other safety feature
- NFPA 101 or Life Safety Code; all commercial buildings must have a proper emergency and exit path lighting
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements; inspections and tests for emergency action plans (EAPs), exit routes, portable fire extinguishers, fire detection systems, employee alarm systems, and more.
Leverage Insurance Discounts
Another great benefit of regular fire and life safety solutions is lucrative insurance discounts. Insurance companies set insurance premiums for commercial buildings after assessing and evaluating the building thoroughly.
In most cases, commercial buildings with higher risk potential draw higher insurance premiums and vice-versa. The four important pillars that insurance companies look at include:
- Construction
- Exposure
- Protection
- Occupancy
Typically, insurance companies provide business owners with attractive insurance discounts if the property comprises proper security solutions, including fire and life safety systems. Some insurance companies also provide business owners with massive insurance incentives if they not only meet NFPA and OSHA regulations but also go above and beyond to keep their people and property safe.
Why You Should Partner With Professional Fire and Life Safety Solutions Experts
When it comes to fire and life safety, it’s a good idea to partner with a security solutions provider, such as ProTech Security. We provide the most advanced safety technologies and thereby attempt to meet the latest codes to ensure that your business remains in compliance with national, state, and local codes while maintaining a high level of fire and life safety.
At ProTech Security, we have a strong history of experience, innovation, and customer service. The ProTech Security Advantage is more than 35 years of service in Northeast Ohio and a strong commitment to providing quality, cost-effective protection for homes, businesses, educational institutions, and government facilities. To see what ProTech Security can do for you, contact us today.
