One of the best ways to keep your employees safe is to have a reliable fire evacuation plan. If running drills every month can benefit schools, then the same principle should apply for your office or retail location. Here is a closer look at designing the fire evacuation plans for your business.
Plan Ahead
The first step is to start planning. Predict where a fire is most likely to occur. Depending on the layout of your building, some rooms might be more of a fire hazard than others. You will also need to keep in mind that different types of fires will need to be extinguished differently. A fire in a kitchen or bathroom could be different than where the computer servers are kept. Water won’t necessarily be the answer to stopping every fire.
Assign Roles
Next, you will need to assign different roles as part of your evacuation plans. Every employee in your business should have some part to play. Everyone can chip in, and it will help build a sense of team spirit and company unity. Fire wardens, escape route guides, fire extinguishers, and floor monitors are all vitally important, so don’t leave anyone out. The more people work together in an emergency; the safer everyone will be!
Communication is Key
Since the typical communication methods your business relies on upon could be damaged or destroyed by a fire, proactive problem-solving is required. For this to work, your communication needs to improve. Practice different situations and scenarios during each fire drill. This can also involve contacting the fire department and other first responders to help them differentiate between exercises and real situations in which an evacuation plan will genuinely be put to the test.
Inspect All Tools
This is also an excellent time to arrange inspections on all fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and early warning systems. Doing so can save you valuable time and money before any tragedies can occur. Make sure all fire extinguisher canisters are fully charged, and if they aren’t, then it’s time to get refilled.
Rehearse Your Plans
Finally, take the time to put your evacuation plans into action. Doing so will require multiple rehearsals to find out what works and what doesn’t work. Becoming more efficient and ensuring that everyone knows what to do will also decrease the chances of panic under pressure when a fire starts for real.
Trust the Professionals at ARK Systems
Located in Columbia, Maryland, ARK Systems provides unsurpassed quality and excellence in the security industry, from system design through to installation. We handle all aspects of security with local and remote locations. With over 30 years in the industry, ARK Systems is an experienced security contractor. Trust ARK to handle your most sensitive data storage, surveillance, and security solutions.
Contact ARK Systems at 1-800-995-0189 or click here today. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!