Fire Protection for Small Business

Fire Protection for Small Business

Fire Protection for Small Business: A Crucial Part of Your Business Plan

Each year, approximately 5 million Americans strike out in an entrepreneurial spirit and start a new business enterprise. Each year, 20% of these new businesses fail and less than 50% of these new businesses will make it past the first five years. Since this is the case, entrepreneurs should gather as much information as possible to succeed. A part of the business plan should be a fire protection plan for the facility housing a new business.

Each type of commercial facility will require a unique set of equipment, according to Federal, State, and local regulations, and emergency procedures for evacuation and communication with local emergency response agencies. The regulations are many, but in this article, we will touch on some basic concepts for Fire Protection for Small Business plans with some of the most common business starts.

Restaurants and Cafes

An important thing to remember about food service businesses is that dining rooms and kitchens require different fire protection precautions.

• The dining room will need fire sprinklers to keep patrons safe. Fire sprinklers douse flames with water and are very effective at preventing small fires from becoming large.
• The kitchen is a different story: water is not an effective means of putting out flames fueled by grease, oil, or fats. These fuels float on top of the water, so water tends to spread these types of flames. Kitchen fire suppression equipment and fire extinguishers use a soapy liquid to smother the flame and extinguish the fire.
• In addition, the facility requires normal planning—adequately spaced fire extinguishers and an evacuation plan, etc.
• The hood vent vacuums oil vapors and exhausts them outdoors. Some of this oil will condense on the sides of the vent and will need to be cleaned away quarterly.

Daycare/Health Care

Taking responsibility for the well-being of little ones, adolescents, or adults who cannot take care of themselves is a big responsibility. Fire protection plans for these facilities have become very complex and for very good reasons.

• All the fire protection precautions needed for commercial kitchens will be necessary for kitchens in care facilities.
• Fire sprinklers are essential to protect the occupants and staff of the facility. In addition, extinguishers will be stationed in key locations.
• Each room will need fire and/or smoke detectors. Pull stations in the hallways allow anyone who sees a fire to sound the alarm. Someone can alert local responders.
• Large meeting rooms, such as dining areas, will need clear evacuation plans. Remember, many of the occupants will not be able to move themselves.
• The evacuation and communication plans vary with these facilities, depending on the number of occupants. This makes sense—a space for 100 people has different requirements than a building for 500 people.

Commercial or Office Space

With retail or office space, the requirements will be molded by the use of the space.

• All the issues listed above will be true for any new commercial space. The requirements for kitchens, large spaces, and large numbers of occupants all apply to commercial spaces.
• The sprinklers, smoke alarms, evacuation plans, and pull stations will also be required.
• If your company has a specialty process or materials, say a server farm or archives, the fire protection requirements change to protect the process or material in a fire event.

If you are serious about starting your own business, let a professional in the fire protection industry create a Fire Protection for Small Business plan unique to your business.

Let us create your Fire Protection for Small Business Owners

Call 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 your Fire Protection for Small Business questions.