Before you lock up your business for your well-deserved holiday break, take the time to ensure your building is completely fire-hazard free.
If you run a non-retail business, you may get at least a few days off this month for the holiday season. While December is known as a time for joy and happiness, the winter season unfortunately also comes with an increased risk of fire. Before you leave your building unoccupied for a few days, be sure to take these few extra steps to ensure your business is safe and fire-hazard free so that you can enjoy the holidays!
Unplug Electronics
Electrical fires are a common cause of fire events in business, so if you’ll be closing down your business for a few days or weeks, turn off and unplug as many electronics as possible. If you want to leave any electronics plugged in, such as signs and holiday lights, inspect each wire for frays, kinks, and bare spots. If the wires look safe and you want to keep the signs and decorations on, use LED lights that won’t overheat, as well as a timer to turn off the lights, so they aren’t on for long periods of time.
Most importantly, check each room in your building for space heaters that have been left on. While this may seem obvious, your employees or occupants could easily forget to turn them off once they leave the office. Space heaters that have been left on are one of the leading causes of business fires in the winter, so taking extra time to ensure all space heaters are unplugged is a simple yet very effective way to protect your building from a fire.
Prevent Freezing Pipes
Winters in Baltimore can get very cold, causing untreated pipes can freeze and burst. The pipes are important for your whole building, but the pipes that feed water to your fire sprinkler system are especially vital in protecting your business from a fire. To keep them from freezing or bursting, either keep the internal building at a minimum of 40 degrees or use insulation sleeves for the pipes. If the pipes are not protected from the freezing weather, your sprinkler system will be useless in the event of a fire.
Check All Fire Protection Equipment
Before locking up for the holidays, be sure to check that all fire protection equipment and systems are working properly. Even if you do all you can to prevent fire-hazards, events may happen, and the fire detection system, sprinkler system, and alert systems such as strobe lights and horns must be maintained to protect your building. The best way to know that all equipment is properly working is to have a fire protection company provide inspections and testing year-round. Fireline offers regular periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance on all type of fire protection systems, as well as a plan that schedules inspections well in advance of the expiration date, so you’ll never have to worry about your equipment expiring.
Fire Prevention and Protection Services from Fireline
Whether you need smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or an automatic sprinkler system installed at your rental property, Fireline has you covered. We have been protecting people and properties from fire damage since 1947—and our experience shows in our excellent work! We are known for our wonderful customer service, our expertise, and our reliability. For more information on how we can help your residential or commercial property, visit us online or give us a call at (800) 553-3405. For more fire safety tips, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.