Is Your Office Building Prepared for An Unexpected Disaster?

5/2/2022 (Permalink)

If you own an office building, fire safety and emergency preparedness should be a priority for you, regardless of the size of the building. Being prepared with the right equipment and a well-thought-out emergency plan can save money, protect property, and possibly save lives in the event of a fire or other emergency. Take a moment to see if your office building is prepared now with these suggestions from SERVPRO of South Albany County.

Have fire extinguishers on hand and ready to use

When trying to avoid potential fires at work, make sure that the office building has the suitable amount of fire extinguishers to sufficiently cover the entire building. Fire extinguishers should be tested on a regular basis to make sure they always work correctly. This also applies to all fire suppression systems, like automatic sprinkler systems as well. Your local fire department can assist you in testing and will eagerly provide recommendations on what would be ideal for your office building. Confirm all the building’s fire extinguishers are clearly within reach throughout the building should an emergency occur. Taking additional time to find an extinguisher during an emergency can result in further damage or worse so it’s critical to be prepared ahead of time and know where extinguishers are and are functional.

Check smoke and fire alarms on a routine basis

Smoke and fire alarms are vital to fire protection and damage control for commercial buildings of any size. Installing them is a good start, but they need to be inspected regularly to maintain functionality; otherwise, you may find them non-functional when you need them most. There are several choices for smoke and fire alarms, from hard-wired to wireless units. Once you have a smoke and fire alarm system in place, make sure there is an action plan should the alarm sound off and people know what to do to stay safe and exit the building quickly and safely if necessary. Confirm that your building has an exit map clearly posted throughout the building so people know how to exit the building safely.

Practice ongoing safety training for employees

An important aspect of safety preparedness is safety training for both homeowners and business owners. Including a fire safety training course in your workplace will empower building occupants to know exactly what they do should if an emergency of any kind occurs, from fire to flooding to a gas leak, etc. It’s a good idea to contact your neighborhood fire department for information on available safety courses that you can use in your place of business.

Emergency exit lighting is important for additional safety

Emergency exit signs that light up should be installed throughout the property to direct people to safety during a fire alarm or other emergency in the office building. Make sure that the emergency exit is clear of anything that could get in the way as people try to exit the building. Having appropriate lighting is also especially useful when highly trained remediation specialists arrive to clean up after the disaster.

Have an established evacuation plan

It’s imperative to schedule your commercial building to be inspected for any potential fire code issues or other issues that could hinder overall preparedness. The fire department will do it for free. Have regular fire drills and educate employees so that they are familiar with how to work the fire equipment, how to detect a gas leak, etc. It’s also a good idea to invest in an emergency readiness plan to make sure your building is prepared for any issue that may come along. SERVPRO’s ERP is an efficient way to plan for any emergency for your office building.

Stay prepared for emergencies

It’s critical to ensure that your office building is prepared for any emergency at any time. Reach out to the disaster recovery pros at SERVPRO of South Albany County to learn how we can help. Contact us at 518-456-1111 to get more information today.