Fire Safety And Protection Strategies For Commercial Buildings

Protecting your building against the threats of fire damage will likely require a number of fire safety systems to be installed. In particular, there are fire protection design options that every commercial building owner should consider installing.

Install Emergency Lighting Systems

In the event of a fire occurring in the building, the power may fail, and there could also be thick smoke that may make it darker inside the building. An emergency lighting system will be able to activate and illuminate these areas of the building so that individuals will be able to navigate their way to the exits. For these systems to be effective, they should both provide light and direct individuals to the closest emergency exit. Once installed, the emergency lighting system will need to be regularly tested to ensure that it is capable of activating in situations where a fire or general power failure has occurred.

Utilize Fire Stops To Slow Flames

Fire stops are a feature that should be included in the design of every commercial building. These are essentially design features that can drastically slow the spread of flames through the building. Fire-resistant doors and insulation can be two of the central components of a fire stop. Depending on the size and intensity of the fire, these systems may be able to contain a roaring fire for several minutes, which can be invaluable for giving those in the building a chance to evacuate. Conducting regular drills with your employees can help to ensure they are familiar with the routes for exiting the building in the shortest length of time possible. Your employees may dislike fire drills due to the disruption that they can cause, but improving evacuation time during a fire can potentially save lives as flames may spread throughout much of a building in a matter of minutes.

Install Comprehensive Sprinkler Systems

A sprinkler system can be an important tool for rapidly extinguishing flames before they have a chance to spread throughout the building. Unfortunately, some buildings may not utilize comprehensive sprinklers, which can lead to some parts of the building remaining very vulnerable to fire damage. If a fire were to become established in an area that is unprotected by the sprinkler system, it may be more likely to overwhelm this system or bypass it. While these sprinklers can be somewhat expensive to install throughout your commercial building, they can potentially pay for themselves if they stop a fire from being able to cause widespread damage to the building or destroy valuable equipment.

Reach out to a fire protection design service to get started.