No one wants to think about their fire system failing in the event of an emergency, but it could happen. You need to ensure that your system is in top condition to ensure that you’re protected should the worst happen in your building.

Here’s how your fire protection system could fail you, and what you can do to prevent it from happening.

The Importance of Fire Systems

Your fire prevention and protection system will be made up of all kinds of things, from fire doors to sprinklers. It all has to work together to ensure that should a fire occur, it can’t spread and cause more damage. If one link in that system isn’t working, then you’ll see much more damage from fire than you should.

It’s important to keep a close eye on your system as your insurance requires you to keep up to date on maintenance. If you do have a fire and you submit a claim, they’ll check to see if you’ve been taking care of the system. If they can see you haven’t, then they will reject your claim, leaving you out of pocket.

You’ll also need to consider the people who use your building. When there’s a fire, there’s a chance that they could be injured. If it’s found that some of your fire protection system wasn’t online when the fire broke out, this could spell disaster for you. The injured party’s attorney can and will come to you for damages in this case. This again will cost you a lot of money that you could’ve avoided to spend.

The most important thing is that when you’re maintaining your fire protection system, you’re ensuring that it will be in the best condition and keep everyone safe in the event of a fire. Avoiding common problems will ensure you never have to deal with widespread damage, and will limit injury in the event of a fire.

Common Fire Protection System Failures

There are several ways in which your fire protection system could fail.

Here’s what you should look out for:

1. Fire Doors Not Being Used as Intended

A fire door is an excellent defense against fire. When they’re in full working order, they will keep a fire behind it for as long as possible, ensuring that you won’t get more widespread fire damage. It also keeps people safe, as they’ll be able to evacuate without fear of injury.

The issue is that many property owners don’t think of this when using their doors. They may remove the closing bar from the top of the door, so they can keep it open when going through it. Some people even prop the door open. Yes, it can be annoying having to open the door every time you use it, especially if it’s in use a lot during the day. If that door is kept open though, then it can’t do it’s job. You need to ensure that the door can and will close every time someone goes through it.

2. You Don’t Inspect Your System

As a property owner or building manager, it’s one of your duties to inspect your fire protection system regularly. When you do inspections, you’ll be looking for any issues that may affect the working of the system as a whole. You’re looking for any damage, any systems not used properly as in the last point, and so on.

It’s recommended that you do this at least once a month. If you’re not keeping up with this and a fire happens, then you’re going to find that something isn’t working. That’s going to cause more damage and possibly more injury, and it can easily be avoided.

3. Your Pull Stations Are Blocked

Your pull stations are vital, as they are how you can alert everyone in the building that there’s a fire. If you discover a fire, you can pull the alarm and get everyone out quickly and easily.

In many cases though, these stations get blocked off from the people who may need to use them. It could be something very simple, such as a plant that’s been placed in the way, or a poster that’s been stuck over it. You don’t think it’s a big deal, but if a fire is discovered and a person can’t find the alarm pull station, then you’re going to lose vital seconds in getting everyone out. You’ll need to keep your staff trained on how these stations need to be left clear, to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

4. There’s Dust on Your Smoke Detectors

Your smoke detectors are vital, as they’ll detect smoke in your building as soon as it occurs, setting off alarms and your sprinklers, should you have them. If there’s a build up of dust on them, though, then they’re not going to be able to work as they should. This can simply happen over time as dust builds up. It can also happen if detectors are placed too close to HVAC diffusers, which can blow dust and dirt onto them.

As part of your inspections, you’ll need to ensure that you’re cleaning your smoke detectors. If they’re clean, they will work as they should.

5. Emergency Exits Are Blocked

It’s easy to forget that your emergency exits are a vital part of your fire safety system. If there’s a fire, your occupants need to be able to get out quickly and safely. The problem is that many building owners forget about this, and store items in the way of them. In some cases, they’re even locked in order to make the building more secure, or blocked from outside by cars.

You’ve got to be vigilant about keeping these exits clear. The items stored will be flammable, as well as impede people trying to evacuate. Locking them will also lose people time as they search for another exit.

Conclusion

These are just a few ways in which your fire protection system can fail. Take good care of it and you can avoid the worst from happening.

Read More:

Understanding The Proper Use Of Fire Doors