A few weeks ago, the fire department knocked on our door at work. They needed to inspect our facility for fire alarms and fire hazards.
Afterward, we talked in the office about it. None of us remembers having the fire department inspect the offices each year.
What I noticed, though, is that even though an annual inspection like that was better than nothing, what our system really needed was a fire test.
Almost every business could benefit from routine, Certified Fire Tests, beyond simply what the fire department might provide by law.
1. Test for deployment
Fire systems should be tested to make sure they work, not just look like they should. For instance…
- Those hard wired smoke detectors, are they any good if the power isn’t connected properly?
- If you have a noisy facility, can the alarms be heard clearly from anywhere?
- Would a system of flashing, strobe lights help make the alarms more effective?
- Does everyone know where to go in an emergency?
- Who gets notified when the alarms go off? A monitoring team? The fire department? Someone on staff?
2. Test all the equipment
Fire departments rarely test all of the fire alarm equipment in their annual visits, if they visit at all. They don’t have the manpower to be able to do that everywhere.
They usually take a look around to make sure the facility looks okay, no glaring issues. They might spend five to 10 minutes depending on the size of the facility.
3. Test at a convenient time
Even if fire departments could thoroughly test everything, it would rarely be at a convenient time for your staff or customers.
Right now, I have a fire test scheduled for a health clinic on Friday. They scheduled that time because they won’t have any patience their then, just administrative staff. This was a much better situation than having firemen setting off alarms or even walking the premises during normal hours.
4. Test with qualified inspectors
Other companies either aren’t qualified to do these types of tests or their systems can’t offer the same level of integration with the rest of your security system. Most companies fail on both counts.
Relaying on the local fire department to do the inspections is rarely the best idea either. Firemen know how to put out fires, but they usually don’t have the detailed training to make sure your system is up to code. Those at the fire department who do have this specialized training, don’t usually have the time to do frequent inspections.
Sonitrol can do this for you. If you’re a customer of ours, we can schedule to test your fire system annually, quarterly, even monthly if you’d like. We’re UL Certified too, so you know you’re getting qualified professionals performing the tests. Letting us set up your system and inspect and test it regularly is one of the surest ways to reduce the risk of loss in a fire.
Jim Crawford, former chair of the NFPA technical committee on professional qualifications for fire marshals, put it this way:
“[I]f you’re trying to add a considerable amount of work to emergency responders’ already hefty workload, you’re making a mistake. Firefighting, EMS, vehicle crashes and extrications, hazmat incidents and specialty rescues all require a good deal of training—more, in fact, than many departments can manage.”
In other words, let the fire department do their job when there’s a fire, but consider certified alternatives for routine tests on your fire system.
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