Fire Safety for Your Elgin Commercial Building

1/13/2021 (Permalink)

Proper use of a fire extinguisher.

Did you know fires can be the costliest incident for a business? Approximately 10% of small businesses are affected by a fire with an average cost of $35,000 according to The Hartford. The National Fire Protection Association states there are five top reasons for fire in a commercial building: Cooking equipment, Heating equipment, Electrical & lighting equipment, Smoking materials, and Intentional. There are several ways for a fire to start in your Elgin business, but luckily, there are four core elements to help you and your company practice fire safety. Please consider the following to implement into your Elgin business for the safety of you and your employees:

• Fire Alarms are the first defense against the potential risks of fires and are perhaps the most important element for your commercial building’s fire safety system. Your Elgin business should always have routine inspections and maintain for all fire alarms to ensure they continue to properly work.
• Emergency lights and exit signs are designed to come on when the main power supplies are lost. These are very helpful because during a fire, conditions can be chaotic and confusing. Emergency lights and signs will make it more likely that individuals will be able to see well enough to get out of the building.
• Fire extinguishers are required by most fire codes. In general, they should be mounted on walls at distances of less than 75 feet. This means no one should have to travel more than 75 feet to get to a fire extinguisher. When using a fire extinguisher, remember “PASS”. It stands for Pull the pin, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep.
• Installing a fire sprinkler will help extinguish fires before the fire department arrives. This is made possible because fire sprinklers are always “on-call”. There is a network of piping filled with water under pressure which is installed behind walls and ceilings. If a fire were to break out, the air temperature rises and once it gets hot enough, that activates the sprinkler system. After installing them, routine inspections should be done to ensure they are working properly.

If a fire were to happen to your commercial building in Elgin, do not worry about tackling fire debris and cleanup on your own. SERVPRO of Elgin is “Here to Help”. For us, the goal is to return each home in Elgin to a clean, odor-free environment as quickly as possible. As the fire restoration experts, we are confident to get the job done every time. To schedule a service and begin the restoration process for your Elgin business, call our office today: (847) 697-8500.

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