Fire Safety Planning: What You Should Know

Fire Safety Planning: What You Should Know

It’s never too late to start your fire safety planning. The purpose of a fire prevention plan is to prevent a fire from occurring in a workplace. It highlights crucial emergency procedures such as regular fire safety checks, fire safety training, fire department notification, and an evacuation plan. By not preparing a fire safety plan, you could have a fire that could lead to business lawsuits, property damage, employee accidents, and even fatalities.

The correct plan will detail how to prevent fires through regular maintenance and inspections, preventative measures that reduce the severity of fires that do occur, and a safe and orderly approach to evacuate the building’s occupants.

The first thing you should do is do a thorough inspection of your property for anything that could pose a fire hazard. Your home or business needs specific strategies. Consider the layout of the site, the entrances and exits, the roads, and the locations and purposes of any storage or use areas.

Note the following crucial details:

Fire emergency procedures should include the following:

• Sounding the alarm
• Notifying the fire department, building or business officials, or other designated staff as outlined in the plan (for example, all telephones on the property should have the emergency phone numbers listed and the property address posted nearby)
• Evacuate occupants when the fire alarm goes off
• If there will be fire drills and how often
• Instructions for any employees specifically charged with ensuring the safety of the building in the event of a fire
• Staff members responsible for fire safety should receive ongoing education and training
• Where applicable, provide details on how to mitigate fire risks in that structure or business
• Provide any additional required training for employees
• Maintain comprehensive guidelines for fire safety system upkeep
• Secure fire and emergency system diagrams and operating instructions, including type, placement, and use
• Determine additional fire preventative measures

In the event of a fire, employees or occupants of the building should be given clear instructions on how to evacuate (or otherwise respond). The plan may, for instance, comprise the following types of instructions:

• Sound the alarm and notify the employees in case of fire.
• If it is possible, help those who are in immediate peril.
• The fire can be contained if all exits are sealed behind you.
• When leaving the building, only use the designated exits.

In the event of a fire:

• Stop all processing and equipment (according to established procedures, if appropriate).
• Get out immediately.
• The fire can be contained if all exits are sealed behind you.
• When leaving the building, only use the designated exits.
• If you have been assigned fire emergency duties, you should follow the established protocol if it is safe to do so.
• Contain, manage, and put out the fire, if at all possible.
• Avoid using elevators if a fire breaks out.
• Do not re-enter the building until the fire marshal or other appropriate authority figures say it is safe to do so.
• Firefighters must be given entry to the building and the area where the fire is located.

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