Fires are very uncommon, but they are also unexpected, can quickly get out of control, and are potentially deadly in the workplace. Whether or not you’re a small business shouldn’t impact your ability to prepare for the worst. Leaving your business unprepared and believing that it just won’t happen to you can lead to costly consequences. That’s why you should ensure you have reliable fire prevention methods in place to protect your premises, staff and livelihood.
At Jackson Fire & Security, our team deal with countless businesses that are not aware of what fire protection and prevention measures they should have in place. Rather than relying on fire suppression, you need to stop the spread before it can engulf your business in flames. So, what are fire prevention, fire protection, and fire suppression, and what are the differences?
What Is Fire Prevention?
Fire prevention involves removing one or more of the three fire elements - heat, oxygen, and fuel. Fire risk assessments are done to help reduce the fire risk, essentially making sure the fire doesn’t end up spreading throughout the building. Generally, this is the best way to minimise the chances of a fire from developing and spreading in the first place - and it boosts everyone’s safety too.
Fire prevention is the number one step you need to take as a business owner in order to protect your premises from fire damage. Identifying the weaknesses of your building will help you to be more informed and see what you need to put in place to ensure the safety of your customers and staff. There may be flammable materials near a heat source, for example.
What Is Fire Protection?
Fire protection is all the different systems that are put in place to protect a building’s occupants in the event of a fire. Having that backup system there will only improve your chances of survival and safety. When evacuating the building, these fire protection methods will come in extra handy. They can either be classed as active or passive, but their importance remains integral either way.
These fire protection systems include fire doors, emergency lighting, fire alarms, and fire alarm monitoring, to name a few. Fire doors & emergency lighting can be installed to ensure that your team and customers can exit the building safely. The emergency lighting acts as a beacon of light if smoke has filled the building, making it hard to see. Fire doors are designed to allow for a safe escape as the door won’t catch alight.
What Is Fire Suppression?
Fire suppression is all about extinguishing an accidental fire - usually in a workplace, but perhaps also in a transport vehicle or another site of interest. This is done with fire extinguishers, which can be used to help create a path for your safe exit out of the building. Smaller fires can easily be put out with a fire extinguisher, which must be done as soon as possible to ensure safety.
With fire extinguishers, you need the best possible versions on the market, along with regular maintenance to make sure that they’re ready in the event of a fire. Although fire suppression is a last resort, you still need it on hand. The sole objective of fire suppression is to put the fire out as quickly as you can.
Why Is It Best To Prevent A Fire Before Suppression?
Preventing a fire by utilising fire prevention methods will only boost your chances of safety. Suppressing a fire is a last-ditch effort to put it out, ensuring that it doesn’t spread any further. Fire prevention and protection are, therefore, much more important for your business overall. Having them all in place is highly recommended by all fire safety professionals since you’ll be fully protected and prepared.
Fire prevention systems are invaluable. The strategic placement of fire alarm detectors all come from identifying those weaknesses. Without the fire risk assessment, this wouldn’t be possible. However, with the fire risk assessment securely in place, you’re able to identify these vulnerabilities that weren’t noticeable at first. This is something that fire suppression doesn’t provide.
How Can You Best Deal With A Fire Before It Spreads?
Firstly, working with a professional fire prevention service and organising a fire risk assessment gives you the knowledge you need to protect your business. Looking at the premises, we can understand the potential risks and improve your fire safety precautions to keep the building’s occupants safe. Then we’ll help install the correct fire protection measures so that you’re more protected as a result. Finally, we can provide you with fire extinguishers to aid your customers, tenants or staff during a fire.
As mentioned earlier, you need to be as fast as possible if you want to stop a fire from spreading; that means you need to have a fire extinguisher or two on hand at all given times. This is where the strategic placement of fire extinguishers in line with your fire risk assessment is essential to give you the best possible chance of stopping the spread of fire.
How Can You Go About Stopping Fires In The Workplace?
At Jackson Fire & Security, we have everything your business could possibly need to keep it safe from fire. Whether it be fire doors, emergency lighting, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire risk assessments, or fire alarm monitoring, then get in touch to find out more about all of our fire safety services!