Do you work in a commercial building and want to keep it safe? Business owners as well as workers should know some basic commercial fire alarm safety tips. Fire alarms keep people and stuff safe because they alert those present to what’s going on– and if there’s a fire breaking out somewhere in the building, steps can be taken to put it out quickly.
Automatic Commercial Fire Alarms Make Life Easy
Did you know there are both automatic and manual smoke alarms? Automatic alarms will “go off” when they detect smoke or excessive heat in a room or area of the building, whereas manual alarms have to have their lever pulled down in order to sound the alarm. In the old days, manual alarms were the norm, especially in older buildings. These days, thankfully, automatic alarms are the norm.
Commercial Fire Alarm Maintenance
What about maintenance? When’s the last time your building’s commercial fire alarm system was inspected, tested, repaired, and/or generally maintained? If alarms have cobwebs on them, chances are it’s time for some attention. Obviously, alarms need to be kept clean– they shouldn’t be dusty or dirty. It’s a smart idea to do regular alarm tests to ensure everything is working as intended. Most alarms just require you to push down on the test button for a couple seconds in order to hear the alarm sound. If you don’t hear that noise, you might have to replace some batteries or have a professional inspect the alarm. Most alarm batteries, by the way, are replaced yearly.
In commercial buildings, it’s a good idea to have smoke/fire alarms interconnected. So, if one goes off, the rest will too, which helps alert people all over the building that there’s an issue.
Fire Drills Aren’t Just for Schools!
Finally, when’s the last time your building had a fire drill? If you’ve never done one since you’ve been in the building you’re in, why not organize one? It is so helpful to do a “practice” drill because then most people in the building will know what to do should the alarms go off for real and they need to vacate the building quickly.
If you need replacement parts for commercial fire alarms, the experts at Life Safety Consultants are here to help.
