713-722-7800
Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners
Essential Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners: A Critical Step for Safety and Compliance
Congratulations if you have an entrepreneurial spirit and plan to start a business in the new year. Starting a new business takes an incredible amount of work, thought, planning, and significant cash. There is so much to think about and so much to do, just to get off the ground. And, when the business grows to the point of needing a brick-and-mortar location it is a momentous step, which also takes a lot of thought and effort to accomplish. It is also time to start to think about your fire protection plan.
The business part of moving into a building can be quite enough! Before moving into a building, the focus will be on creating the service or product behind the business, refining processes that advance the business model, hiring the right people, and planning well into the future. After researching the proper location, the space layout, ergonomic office equipment, and custom designing the interior for guests and customers, you may think your work is done concerning the business space. But you’re not quite finished. Before you can gain an occupancy permit, you will need a fire protection plan.
While you may know your trade and have a wonderful plan for your budding enterprise, you might not be familiar with what it takes to put an emergency plan together.
Each type of business requires a unique fire protection plan and specified equipment, based on the most likely source of fire and the number/type of people who might frequent your facility. Here are a few Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners examples of how the fire emergency plan might differ, depending on a building/company’s activity.
Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners Musts For All Businesses
Common spaces require some of the same equipment and procedures; every business owner needs to be familiar with fire protection basics.
- Buildings need portable devices available to staff and guests to employ immediately—fire extinguishers, of course.
- There are five different types of fire extinguishers, and a single building may need several types of extinguishers. Knowing which extinguishers are used for a specific type of fire is valuable information.
- An alarm system, usually tied to a smoke or heat sensor, is essential.
- A sprinkler system will be installed in at least some portions of a building to extinguish a fire before it spreads.
A full fire protection plan will also include methods of communication and an evacuation plan. However, the equipment and planning will vary. For instance, automotive repair and maintenance facilities must consider the most common types of fires in such spaces.
These businesses deal with very flammable materials, based on petroleum products. Gas and oil float on the water’s surface, so applying water to a petroleum fire spreads the flame. In addition, any piece of high-voltage electrical equipment can create shock hazards. These facilities will need multiple types of extinguishers, but the garage area will not include water fire sprinklers. Egress from the repair area should also be well thought out, since garage doors may not open during a fire emergency.
Commercial restaurants have unique challenges when developing a fire protection plan. The dining area and kitchen will have different equipment and evacuation plans than the kitchen. The dining area will use sprinkler systems and obvious doors for evacuation. The kitchen is more complicated. The combination of grease/oil and flame/high heat means the plan must be rigid since more commercial fires start in the kitchen than in any other commercial space.
- A specialty soapy foam is used for fire suppression in kitchens around food.
- Vent hoods over stoves pull vaporous oil into the atmosphere, but it collects on the sides as it cools. This collection needs to be professionally cleaned regularly.
- A kitchen will need portable fire extinguishers for other potential fuels.
- The cramped spaces in a kitchen require some careful planning for egress.
Planning for the two types of spaces combined in the same building gets complicated.
Libraries, archives, and server rooms require very different equipment and plans since they house valuable content that should not come in contact with water. A fire sprinkler can do irreparable damage to the content of these spaces that surpass the damage from a minor fire. Often, the suppressant of choice in these spaces will be a gas to smother the flame. However, the plan must be carefully made since these gases can only be deployed after human occupants have left the area since they replace the oxygen in the space.
In contrast, the fire emergency plan for spaces with many human occupants will focus on overhead fire sprinklers. In these spaces, most of the records and computer data can be replaced; people cannot be replaced. Evacuation plans will be visually mapped out, with lighted signs and battery-powered lights to illuminate the path of egress.
Mastering Fire Protection: Comprehensive Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners
Starting a new business requires meticulous planning, and part of that planning is creating a comprehensive fire protection plan or a Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners, which is essential for obtaining an occupancy permit. Different types of businesses—from automotive repair shops to commercial kitchens and libraries—require tailored fire protection plans based on their unique risks and environments.
Key elements for all businesses include fire extinguishers, alarm systems, sprinkler systems, and evacuation procedures, but the specifics can vary greatly depending on the type of business and its activities. That is why you need to call the professionals at Fire Safe Protection Services today at 713-722-7800 or visit our online form, and we will be in contact as soon as possible about Fire Protection Plans for Business Owners questions.