A fire is one of the crucial emergencies that most property owners or facility managers never expect, but one incident is enough to devastate properties in minutes. When you oversee an Arizona property, you need to comply with multiple local and state regulations related to fire safety and inspections. Fire season is very real and equally dangerous. The bare minimum is never enough, so being proactive about securing your property in case of a fire is essential.
Here are a few practical tips to help keep your tenants, employees and properties safe during fire season and beyond:
Always remember your annual fire extinguisher inspection
Fire extinguishers don’t work forever. When the pressurized gas inside interacts with the chemicals, it sprays out foam. However as time passes, this pressure decreases and leads to leaks in the fire extinguisher. By working with trusted professionals such as CertiPro Fire And Life Safety, you can protect your Arizona property through annual safety inspections for your fire extinguishers. Responsible owners and managers tend to rely on a checklist of regular maintenance tasks for their properties anyway, so this is one essential task to add to the list!
Develop a safety exit plan and practice fire drills.
The majority of local governments require owners to have fully mapped out evacuation routes in case of an emergency. These maps are almost always visible next to the facility manager’s office door. Unfortunately, reading the map is very different compared to actually implementing the planned route. The maps are often confusing and can be difficult to remember especially in highly stressful situations. In the case of a fire that requires an evacuation, thinking clearly might be the last thing on people’s minds.
All building employees and residents need to know how to exit from different points of the property. Make fire safety an essential part of each new hire’s orientation process. Brief every new resident on the proper procedure. Most importantly, practice fire drills at least once annually to ensure everyone understands the route.
Review safety procedures every year — not just during fire season.
Fire safety is not a one-time process. Aside from having yearly fire extinguisher inspections, it’s crucial to have regular reviews on safety procedures or whenever there are significant changes to the property. If you are a property manager of a commercial building, ensure that employees are able to exit their offices as well as the restrooms, break rooms, and other places in the building. If you move furniture around, double check that fire extinguishers are still easy to access.
No one wants a fire to ruin their property and while we all hope it never happens, the reality is that it can–and often does. Knowing that you, your tenants and your employees are fully prepared for a fire will help everyone feel reassured and confident about the safety of your property and their lives.