Planning for Unexpected Building Evacuations

There can be a variety of emergencies in buildings. Disorganized evacuations result in confusion and put occupants at risk, whether in commercial, institutional, industrial and or residential occupancies. Fire evacuations can be one emergency and it is critical that the fire safety plan identify when and how the occupants are to respond, keeping in mind the worst-case scenarios. read more...

Building Evacuation of Persons Requiring Assistance

Although changes may not have been made to the physical building over time, changes to the list of building emergency personnel, their phone numbers, and the list of “persons requiring assistance” (PRA’s) may very well be outdated. read more...

First & Second Stage Fire Alarm Audibles.

Most building operators can relate to a host of fire alarm conditions which can occur, leading to the evacuation of their occupants whether there was an actual fire situation or false alarm. At the moment the fire alarm system audibles sound, it may not be immediately clear what created the alarm or what was to follow.read more...

12-Month Fire Safety Plan Review

As the New Year approaches, some building operators are considering reviewing and updating their fire safety plans. One of the most popular questions which arises is that if no changes have occurred in the building, why is it necessary to review to the fire safety plan. Although changes may not have been made to a building over time, the probability of amendments to the fire code is high. read more...

Enhancing Fire Safety Awareness for Tenants

It is of the upmost importance for the elected supervisory floor wardens to be thoroughly familiar with the building fire alarm system and the various tones of the audible devices which may sound in the building. It is the building manager’s responsibility to familiarize all occupants with the emergency procedures, and to provide them with the ability to monitor their own environment. read more...

Identifying the Building Fire Hazards

Identifying the fire hazards in a residential or commercial building in advance is a huge asset to the property management teams as it allows them to implement proactive corrective measures and reduces the overall risks to the building occupants. This strategy becomes one of a property operator’s first lines of defense in safeguarding the occupants and minimizing the property damages. read more...

Fire Safety Plan Annual Review

Depending on their size and classification, some buildings are seemingly in a constant state of change with renovation or construction activities. For this reason, the fire code requires that each building fire safety plan (FSP) is 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.

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Building Fire Watch

The fire code requires that buildings equipped with fire alarm systems are to be fully operational at all times. However, a building manager can be faced with a fire alarm panel repair whereby the system must be temporarily disabled for a scheduled period of time. This results in all the fire and smoke sensors, manual pull stations and audibles being off line while the maintenance work is being completed. read more...

Occupant Evacuation Readiness and the FSP

Ensuring that a Fire Safety Plan (FSP) is up to date as deemed necessary, at increments no greater than 12 months, is a requirement under the fire code. It is also a requirement to accurately implement the FSP to ensure effective utilization of fire safety systems and adherence to current building evacuation procedures. To protect the occupants in the event of a fire, it is the building manager’s responsibility to familiarize all occupants with the emergency procedures, and to provide them with the ability to monitor their own environment. This shared accountability and advance preparation aims to provide a higher level of evacuation readiness.read more...

Preparing for Building Emergencies

Although building codes contain sizing requirements for exit ways and corridors to ensure that the maximum number of occupants may escape quickly in the event of a fire emergency, additional steps are to be taken towards minimizing the risk to occupants.
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