4 Things To Know About Having And Using Fire Extinguisher Equipment In Your Commercial Building

Posted on: 13 December 2022

No matter what kind of business you run, you need fire extinguisher equipment in your building so you can put out any small fires before they spread. There may even be fire codes you need to comply with, and you might even have fire inspections to go through. Fire codes often pertain to the type, number, and placement of fire extinguishers in your building. Here are four things to know about fire extinguisher equipment.

1. Personnel Should Be Trained In Their Use

Your employees need to know how to use fire extinguishers or the extinguishers will be useless. You might be required to hold annual or new hire fire training sessions. These might be provided by your fire extinguisher company or your local fire department.

The training sessions explain how to use a fire extinguisher and provide live demonstrations. Training also includes learning about the types of extinguishers in your building and how to know which type to use.

2. Fire Extinguishers Need To Be Checked Regularly

Since you may never use your fire extinguishers, it's important to check them regularly to make sure they are full and ready to use. Extinguishers usually have labels on them where your maintenance crew can initial and date the time of each inspection. You might make monthly inspections yourself and then have annual maintenance done by the company that supplies your fire extinguishers.

3. You Need The Appropriate Type Of Extinguishers

An ABC fire extinguisher is common since it can be used on different types of fires. You might have these in your office spaces. If you're involved in industrial or factory work, you may also need specialized fire extinguishers for combustible metals or oils.

Your fire extinguisher company can help you choose the type of fire extinguishers you need, how many you need, and where you should mount them so your building is protected and you are in compliance with fire regulations.

4. The Extinguishers Should Be Easy To Find

You don't store fire extinguishers in a closet. Instead, they need to be mounted on the wall where they can be seen easily and grabbed quickly. While you want the extinguishers placed so they won't be bumped and bothered, you may need to comply with regulations that state an extinguisher has to be within a certain distance from a fire risk.

You can learn about fire codes yourself, and if your company is large, you may even need your own disaster officer that oversees your fire plan and extinguishers. However, you can also rely on the fire extinguisher company to help with installing the extinguishers and inspecting them on schedule.

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