Fire Safety Planning for the New Year

As the new year gets underway, it is an absolute must to ensure that the contents of the fire safety plan (FSP) are up to date. Each FSP is required by code to be reviewed at intervals of no greater than twelve months. This undoubtedly may seem like a huge task as the FSP can easily run over sixty pages, and a building manager can be overwhelmed with the update process.read more...

Smoke and Fire Controls in a Building

The means of egress depicted on the floor plan drawings of an approved fire safety plan (FSP) should be the first choice for evacuation by building occupants in the event of fire. Although it’s a rarity that building fires occur in multiple locations at the same precise time, the possibility of spreading smoke may very well annunciate on the fire alarm detection systems of multiple zones. read more...

Emergency Preparedness and the Building FSP

For the most part, the goal of a residential or commercial business operator is to ensure the satisfaction and safety of their occupants. It is critical to be proactive and follow the requirements outlined in the approved fire safety plan (FSP) for the building. Most important is following the evacuation procedures described in the FSP so that occupants can quickly and efficiently evacuate the building in the event of an emergency.read more...

Firepoint is the leading developer of code compliant fire safety plans.read more...

Emergency Preparedness and the Fire Safety Plan

Understanding the sections of the fire safety plan (FSP) pertaining to the building occupant evacuation procedures does require advance preparation. There are critical activities required during the time between the identification of the fire emergency and commencement of evacuation. read more...

Mitigating the Unpredictability of Building Emergencies

Sooner or later one can expect a building evacuation to take place, whether it be a real alert or false alarm. The fact is that the majority of people entering a building have the expectation that they can come and go in reasonable safety, and to a large extent they rarely consider the consequences of a fire occurrence. read more...

Maintaining Clear Exit Ways

The first priority for building operators and property managers is to ensure that occupants can safely exit a building without becoming trapped or overcome by smoke in an emergency. It is therefore crucial that the fire alarm system, public address system, and/or other means of alerting occupants are in full working condition at all timesread more...

Reviewing Your Fire Safety Plan

Given that a fire safety plan (FSP) is to be reviewed at intervals of no greater than twelve months, some advance preparation may help in the management of this important task. On average, an FSP may easily run over fifty pages, and it may seem somewhat overwhelming to review and update. As a starting point to commence the update process, it is necessary to establish when the FSP was accepted by your city officials.read more...

Fire System Interruption

The term fire watch as outlined in the approved fire safety plan (FSP) relates to the role of a pre-designated person(s) having the sole responsibility to be on the lookout for fires in their assigned area(s). The FSP does contain guidelines in the event that the automatic fire systems are off-line for any reason whatsoever, and a description of the fire watch procedures to be implemented immediately. read more...

Ensuring the Integrity of Fire Barriers and Successful Evacuations

Overall, fire and life safety planning is a critical component of any building. The planning approach for the most part hinges on the building’s classification, its characteristics and the fire protection systems and safety equipment which are currently installed. For all concrete or steel-reinforced structures, and regardless of the number of floors or occupant load, it is imperative to assess hazards in the building.

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