The safety of all commercial buildings hinges on the fire safety tools and equipment available on the premises. While all business owners install necessary fire safety equipment on their premises as per regulations, some neglect the quality and workability of these tools and avoid servicing them to save costs. What they don’t realise is that in choosing not to conduct regular maintenance of their fire safety equipment they are increasing their risk of fire hazards and by extension the risk of incurring a huge financial loss. The truth is, there is no point in having any fire safety equipment and tools on your premises if they are not properly serviced and hence may not be in working condition. Every tool and piece of equipment requires regular servicing and maintenance for a reason. Here we discuss some of the most important ones:
Fire Alarms
A must in every commercial building, fire alarms are responsible for alerting the authorities and occupants of the building about a fire hazard. Since they are triggered as soon as a fire is detected, they play a crucial role in helping everyone to get to safety before the fire gets out of control. Power failures, ground faults, and water damage are some common causes of system failure or shutdown in fire alarms. While many fire alarm systems have control panels that indicate a fault, some fire alarms do not come with panels that can tell you if the alarm has malfunctioned. Hence, it is vital to conduct regular maintenance and servicing of fire alarms in commercial buildings.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are often the first line of defence against small fires. Based on the cause of the fire, different fire extinguishers are used to put out the fire and control it before it spreads further. Fire extinguishers often lie installed without ever being used for years on end. It makes them prone to rusting and malfunctioning. Moreover, there is no way of knowing if a fire extinguisher has been tampered with unless you conduct regular servicing and maintenance. Fire extinguishers must always be serviced by certified engineers from a BAFE approved company, to ensure that they are always in working order and can fight any fire.
Sprinkler Systems
A sprinkler system is used to douse a fire with water released from sprinkler systems upon detection of fire. They also dampen surrounding areas to prevent fire from spreading any further. Rusting is one of the most common problems of sprinkler systems that often renders them useless. Other causes are freezing and bursting of water pipes and reduced water pressure due to less usage. Sprinkler systems need servicing as they are crucial to fighting any fire breakouts. Regular servicing sprinkler systems and other fire and safety tools and equipment will ensure that they work optimally in case of a fire.
Fire Suppression Systems
Fire suppression systems come into action the moment heat from a fire ruptures the trace tube. Because these systems require minimal electric equipment, they are less prone to damage or developing faults than other fire safety systems. However, you will still need professionals to regularly service your fire suppression systems to ensure that the suppressant is topped up and no damage can affect the efficiency of the system at the time of the fire.
Other Fire Safety Equipment
Apart from the essential fire safety equipment mentioned above, there are many others like fire doors and emergency lighting that needs regular checks and servicing. It is critical to check if your fire doors have become jammed or are missing any seals or hinges that can affect their capacity to close and confine any fires. Similarly, emergency lighting must also be regularly serviced to ensure that it works in the event of a fire and subsequent power failure, to help people see in the dark and get to safety.
LNS provides a complete range of fire and safety services in Leicestershire, from design, installation, and commissioning to servicing and maintenance of equipment. We are BAFE approved, and all our engineers are certified so you can get rely on us to provide efficient fire safety maintenance services for your business premises. Contact us on 0116 224 3478 to learn how we can make your commercial building safe and secure.