The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) tells us that home fires occur most often in the winter. This is for a variety of reasons, but the number one cause in the fall and winter specifically being heating equipment. With hundreds of lives claimed each year and billions of dollars caused in damages, serious accidents can often be prevented by following basic fire safety tips. Keep reading for our fire safety tips to help keep you and your family safe as we begin the fall and winter season.

Follow Safe Heating Practices

Making sure that you follow safe heating practices is one of the most important ways that you can make sure that you’re keeping your home safe from fire-related incidents during this fall and winter season. Accidents from heating equipment not only come in the form of space heaters, but also in fireplaces and ovens.

Servicemasterrestore.com gives us their tips on safely heating your home:

“Two of every five fires occur because of space heaters. If you have one in your home, make sure it has an automatic shut-off so that if it accidentally tips over, it will shut off before a fire starts.
Do not place space heaters or other heating equipment near flammable materials, such as furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding. Maintain 3 feet between all heating equipment and other furniture or décor.
If you own a wood stove, always keep the doors closed. The only time you should open the doors is if you’re adding more wood or stoking the fire.

Have Your Chimneys and Vents Checked

Those who enjoy the many benefits of having a working fireplace during the colder months need to ensure that they’re having their chimneys and vents checked. As warm and atmospheric as having a burning fire in your fireplace can be, it also unfortunately presents multiple fire hazards.

Realty Times explains why having your chimneys and vents checked is absolutely essential:

Be Aware of Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a common household killer, made especially dangerous by the fact that it’s completely invisible. A number of heating appliances can cause CO poisoning, which makes this an exceptionally large hazard in the fall and winter.

Firemarshals.org explain why making sure you have multiple CO alarms situated throughout your home:

“When heating your home, you need to be aware of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is called the “invisible killer” because it’s a colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas. More than 150 people in the U.S. die every year from accidental CO poisoning from generators or fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fire places. Breathing CO at high levels can kill you.

Put CO alarms inside your home to provide an early warning of increasing CO levels. These alarms should be placed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home.”

Fire-Alert takes pride in equipping homeowners with all necessary fire safety devices to ensure the well-being of families across the nation. Reach out to us using our contact form to find out more.

It is estimated that more than 25,000 residential fires and more than 300 deaths are caused each year by space heaters alone. This is an incredibly frightening number, especially when it’s realized that the vast majority of these fires could easily have been prevented. Simply following basic space heater safety tips can make the difference between a safe, heated home, and a serious accident. We’re going to take you through our space heater safety tips, as a reminder to be extra cautious as the weather gets colder.

Only Use Electric Space Heaters Inside

Not all space heaters are made equal – some can only be used outdoors, and it is vitally important to make sure that you never use these types of heaters inside your home. If a heater meant for outdoor spaces is used indoors, it can cause a potentially fatal accident for yourself and your family.

Enercare tells us more about why electric space heaters should be used inside only:

“You should only use an electric heater inside your home. Fuel-burning space heaters are intended for open-air use and should never be brought into the house, even if you are undergoing furnace maintenance and have no other source of heating. Using a fuel-burning space heater inside could expose your family to carbon monoxide or other poisonous gases. For the safety of you and your loved ones, it’s always best to stick with smaller, electric space heaters.”

Space Heater Placement

Space heaters get hot – after all, that’s what they’re meant to do. However, this means that you need to keep them away from any type of furniture and material that can easily go up in flames, in order to prevent the surrounding area potentially going up in flames.

Sylvane explains why space heater placement is crucial to preventing fire hazards:

“It’s generally suggested that space heaters be placed at least 3 feet away from furniture, window treatments, bedding, clothing, rugs, and other combustibles.

These items can cause a risk of fire if they come in contact with a unit’s electric heating element or too-hot surface.

Other Placement Tips

Never sit or drape anything on top of a portable heater.
In addition, be sure that the heater is placed on a hard, level surface.
Review your owner’s manual for specific instructions on your heater.”

Check for Overheat Protection

It’s more than wise to ensure that when purchasing a space heater, it comes with an overheat protection feature. This feature will automatically turn off your space heater if it detects it’s getting too hot, and can be essential in preventing an accident from occurring. However, not all space heaters have this feature, and it’s important to take extra precautions if yours does not.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission tells us what to do if your space heater does not have this feature:

Fire-Alert takes pride in equipping homeowners with all necessary fire safety devices to ensure the well-being of families across the nation. Contact us using our contact form to find out more.

The fall and winter months are known for festive holidays with home cooked meals, quality time with friends and family and snuggling up in a blanket in front of a fireplace. Unfortunately, the colder months also come with an increase in fire hazards, as an increase in heating equipment and cooking devices are used. In this article, we’re going to cover common fall and winter fire hazards, as a reminder to be extra careful during the holiday season.

Have Your Furnace Checked

While your furnace is incredibly valuable during the winter months, a faulty or unmaintained furnace is also the most likely cause of a house fire. When not used or maintained properly, a furnace can actually cause an array of dangerous and even fatal problems to the home and its residents. This is why hiring a professional to regularly inspect your furnace is not only responsible, but necessary.

Fireline explains why it may not be enough to check your furnace yourself, if you’re not a professional:

Candles

We all know the obvious reason why candles are a fire hazard, being that they’re literally, well, fire. The fall and winter season bring with them a huge increase in the use of candles due to their ambiance inducing qualities. Unfortunately, this also brings an increase in candle-related fire safety incidents as well.

ServiceMaster Restore gives us more tips on about how to prevent candles from becoming a serious fire hazard:

“Candles are popular over the holidays for their charming glow and lovely aromas. Unfortunately, candle fires spike over the holidays, especially on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. During this time, up to 25 candle fires are reported each day.

An open flame, no matter how small, is not something to take lightly. When using candles during the holiday candles, follow these safety tips:

Keep candles at least 12 inches away from any flammable objects.
Try not to use candles in the bedroom, where they may be forgotten if you fall asleep.
Do not leave small children or pets alone in a room with a lit candle.
Blow out candles every time you leave the room.”

The Kitchen

The colder weather not only brings a slew of major holidays, but it also prompts an increase of cooking in general. This makes kitchen-related fire incidents more of a risk than usual, with home owners cooking large meals in their homes more than usual.

Canada Safety Council gives their tips on being extra cautious in the kitchen during the winter months:

“Stay in the kitchen when cooking, especially when using grease or when cooking food at high temperatures. If a grease fire starts, never try to put it out with water. If possible, cover the pan with a lid to smother the flames; use baking soda on shallow grease fires. If you can’t control the fire immediately, get yourself and your family out fast, and call 9-1-1.”

Fire-Alert takes pride in equipping homeowners with all necessary fire safety devices to ensure the well-being of families across the nation. Contact us using our contact form to find out more.

While you may have heard of the term “occupant use fire hose”, you may be unclear on exactly what this is, how often it needs to be inspected, and if you even have one! We’re going to take a look at exactly what an occupant use hose is, and the precautions you need to be taking to make sure it’s in working order in the event of an emergency.

What Is An Occupant Use Fire Hose?

Occupant use fire hoses are fire hoses that are stored within a building – but what are they used for? Are they meant solely for the occupants of the building to use, or are they there for the fire department’s use?

Occupational Health & Safety expands on what these occupant use hoses are and are not used for:

“Within the fire industry and NFPA standards, the small hoses inside facilities are typically referred to as “Occupant Use Hoses.” The use of this terminology is not by coincidence, as the name actually indicates the professional fire service’s opinion of these hoses. The hoses inside a facility are specifically for the use of the building occupants, not the fire department. Very seldom if ever will public fire departments plan to or actually use hoses owned and maintained by someone other than themselves. They will use the hose drops to connect their own hoses, but the actual hoses are typically off limits. As the Occupant Use Hoses are just that, for occupant use, it is important to determine the uses available within the facility.”

Self Inspections

Although self inspections do not take the place of a professional inspection, they are still necessary in order to ensure that an unexpected issue did not occur.

Koorsen Fire & Security tells us why self inspections should still be conducted in between annual inspections:

Professional Inspections

As with any fire detection or fighting equipment, your occupant use fire hose may be vitally important in the case of a fire. This is why ensuring that you are having your hose regularly expected is incredibly important should an emergency arise.

A1 Sprinkler & Systems Integration expands on how often you should be having your fire hose inspected professionally:

“Every year, or after any use, you should have your fire hose inspected by a professional for a visual hose, nozzle and coupling inspection. During this inspection, your Life Safety Partner will unrack, unreel/unroll and physically inspect your hose to determine that the hose, couplings, and any nozzle have not been vandalized, they are free of debris, and exhibit no evidence of mildew, rot or damage by chemicals, burns, cuts, abrasion or vermin. They will also check that nozzle controls and adjustments operate properly, inspect gaskets for presence, tight fit, and deterioration, and couplings for damage, corrosion, and rotation.”

Our Fire-Alert experts test and inspect hoses to the most current NFPA standards and current Fire Code rules. When you allow Fire-Alert to annually inspect your hoses and to perform hydrostatic tests when required, you are able to give your employees and building occupants both protection and peace of mind. Contact us using our contact form to book an appointment.

Although summer might be coming to a close, we are still in fire pit and BBQ season, with many of us opting to take advantage of the nice weather we have left. However, when using fire outdoors in either of these cases, some may not consider the safety risks involved. It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, fire can mean serious danger, even if you’re just trying to grill up some hamburgers. In this article, we discuss fire pit and BBQ safety tips, so you can ensure that you’re fully prepared next time you enjoy one of these outdoor activities.

Barbeque Tips

Grilled food is not only a treat, but is a way to enjoy the outdoors in the warmer months while cooking your favourite meal. But how can you ensure that you stay safe while doing so? It’s important to remember that grills should always be used outside, in a well ventilated area. These should also be positioned away from the home and deck railings, and also away from any low hanging tree branches or plants.

Hinkle Hardscapes tells us their tips for safe outdoor grill use:

“The most important thing to remember is to never leave the grill unattended, especially if you have children and pets. The second most important safety item is to remember to keep the grill clean by removing grease and fat buildup. You can also clean or replace any trays that sit below the grill and collect food waste, oil and other grill debris.”

Propane Tips

Although necessary to keep certain types of BBQs running, propane can be dangerous if not used cautiously. When you’re excited to just get outside and throw what is sure to become a grilling masterpiece on the BBQ, you can forget to follow propane safety tips, which are incredibly important in preventing a fire.

Dowler Karn expands on some of their tips for propane safety:

“Here are some safety tips to use when dealing with a propane BBQ:

If you haven’t used your barbeque in a few months, make sure to inspect and clean it before usage.
Replace any worn or rusted fittings or burners, as well as O rings.
Always check cylinder connections for leaks before using your barbeque for the first time after or with a new cylinder.
Be sure to always use barbecues outdoors in well-ventilated areas, clear from any windows and doors.
Ensure that cylinders are stored upright and off the ground in a secure, well-ventilated location.
Keep the propane cylinder away from any sources of heat or ignition when in storage or transport.”

Fire Pit Tips

Fire pits are incredibly popular in the warmer months, and are a great way to continue to enjoy the outdoors once the sun goes down. It’s important to remember that fire pits are not regulated in most highly populated residential areas, so you must first and foremost ensure that making use of a firepit is allowed in your area. If you are legally able to have a fire pit, there are safety precautions that must be followed when using.

Julie Martens Forney of HGTV tells us some of her tips when it comes to fire pit safety:

“Fire pit safety starts with selecting the right site. Make sure the ground is level, especially when using a portable fire pit. Keep fires located at least 10 to 20 feet away from surrounding plants, as well as from nearby buildings, including your home. Check with your local city and county authorities to make sure you observe the distance required by law.”

If you’re interested in learning more, we offer industrial and residential services and fire extinguisher inspections, or you can contact us using our contact form.

While the ongoing health emergency affects everyone at every level of the work and school place, it’s important to remember that fire prevention and fire safety must still be practiced. Making sure that emergency egress drills (fire drills that include building evacuation) are practiced are essential to making sure that everyone knows exactly what to do in the case of a fire. However, now that we continue to face a global pandemic where social distancing is required, how do we safely conduct fire drills while still maintaining these practices? We take a look at what you need to know regarding fire drills and COVID-19, and which truly comes first – fire safety or social distancing protocol.

Alternative Training

Some organizations have opted to conduct online or virtual training for their fire drills, if they cannot ensure that social distancing protocol will be met during a fire drill. This would be likely in a large school, crowded office space, or where there is little room to evacuate.

The Calgary Fire Department in Alberta states the following when it comes to practising fire drills while maintaining social distancing on the thesafetymag.com:

“If the company or organization cannot ensure social distancing an additional option would be to complete online training as developed by the company or organization and to ensure that records are kept regarding details of training and personnel involved,” the memo continued.

Following New Procedures

As a society, we have become very used to having to do things differently when it comes to COVID-19 – with fire drills being no exception. It’s important to remember that it is still mandatory to have fire drills. In order to maintain social distancing, it may be necessary to come up with a new system to ensure that everyone, on every floor, is able to have the physical experiencing of evacuating the building in the event of a fire, so that they are confident that they’d know exactly what to do in the event of an emergency.

Fire Risk Assessments NI tells us their thoughts on how and when to conduct fire drills amid COVID-19:

“I would suggest as an interim measure that each floor or different work areas are evacuated separately. Again, using a multi-storey office building as an example, the tenant on the 2nd floor is advised that we are completing a fire drill on wed 10th at 10am, which will be initiated by a call from the reception / H&S team etc. This tenant / staff on this floor only evacuates to the assembly point. The following week is another tenant etc. This requires a bit more involvement, but can be achieved and is safe.

Completion of your fire evacuation drills are a key part of the fire safety of the staff and allows the staff to be aware of the procedures to be followed if the alarm sounds. The drills are also a legal requirement and you cannot stop completion of the drills due to social distancing etc!”

Maintaining Social Distancing

In order to maintain social distancing when conducting a fire drill, it may be necessary to come up with new methods of social distancing, such as the physical marking of locations outside of schools and commercial buildings, so that there is no question that social distancing measures must continue to be followed.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal Agency describes methods in order to maintain social distancing while in schools, while conducting mandatory fire drills.

“It is acceptable for a school to use methods to maintain social distancing during fire drills such as floor marking. In order to minimize the number of students, staff and visitors in the hallways and at the gathering areas during the conduct of a fire drill, it is acceptable during the COVID-19 state of emergency to conduct the monthly fire drills in phases so that only certain grades, classrooms or areas participate in any single fire drill. When phased fire drills are conducted, all occupants of the location must participate in a fire drill, and all drill phases shall be complete no later than two calendar days after the first phased drill was conducted.”

Interested in learning more about the services we offer to ensure the fire safety of you and your loved ones? Please contact us using our contact form to find out more.

If you’ve returned to the office, you know that procedures have been put in place left, right, and centre, when it comes to combating the spread of COVID-19 within our workplaces. However, in doing so, we must ensure that the protocols we have put in place do not create any additional safety concerns – including a whole new set of fire safety concerns. In this article, we take a look at fire safety tips in the office during COVID-19, and how your office can ensure they’re prepared in the case of an emergency.

Updating Fire Warden Programs

Due to the fact that many employees that formerly worked in the office may have opted to work from home, or whose employment situation has changed due to the pandemic, your office may not have maintained their fire warden from pre-COVID. In this case, it’s important to ensure that your office has appointed a new fire warden and that they’re properly trained in the role.

Jason Reid of Canadian Firefighters tells us about the importance of appointing a new fire warden if changes in employment due to COVID requires it:

“Employers within commercial high-rise buildings — and retirement homes — are required to appoint fire wardens and/or supervisory staff within their respective work areas, and train them on the building’s approved emergency fire and evacuation procedures. Their role is vital to ensuring no one is left behind and in providing valuable information to both building staff and arriving fire crews.”

Reviewing New Emergency Procedures

It’s a fact that most office buildings will have a lower population when returning to the office, so it’s important to review new emergency procedures. There may be a new fire safety strategy that needs to be put into place, which can be heavily altered by having fewer bodies to evacuate in the building.

Tetra Tech explains why it’s important to review your commercial building’s emergency procedures, especially in light of lower occupancy:

“It is a requirement for building managers to conduct annual or biannual fire drills. While these may end up being postponed, it is important to review and factor lower occupancy into a building’s emergency procedures. The review should ensure the fire safety strategy is not adversely impacted by COVID-19-related measures. A review should also be seen as an opportunity to clearly communicate with building occupants any changes to the strategy or to reinforce the existing strategy. This will reduce the likelihood of confusion in an actual event.”

COVID Safety Vs. Fire Safety

There has been much speculation over whether COVID safety or fire safety should be put before the other when it comes to fire drills and office evacuations. The answer to this question is that neither should be put before the other, but ultimately, it is essential to ensure that you are able to get everyone that is present outdoors and unharmed. In order to ensure that your employees are following COVID safety measures, it’s important to make sure that employers continue to educate their staff on procedures they need to be following.

Memic.com explains why employer’s need to ensure that their employees’ safety isn’t compromised, while not risking their safety in the event of a fire:

“To ensure that employee safety is not compromised in the event of a fire, a safer alternative to combating the spread of COVID-19 is to increase awareness of how this virus is transmitted. Encourage employees to take the time to frequently wash their hands and also implement cleaning and disinfecting protocols.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the commercial and residential services we offer, please contact us using our contact form.

Did you know the safety equipment in your workplace needs to be inspected at least once a year? If you’re a building manager or fire marshal, you’re likely already familiar with these rules. But why are annual fire inspections so important? Let’s break down why and how you can set up a safety inspection in your workplace.

Check Systems that Go Overlooked

In the day to day goings on of a workplace, you are likely not checking every safety system that’s in place. While security departments might go around to do checks, some systems can often be overlooked because they are simply not used as frequently. Emergency exits, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and other safety systems are not checked often. This is why a fire inspection at least once a year ensures that these systems work and are not faulty or inactive.

The City of Surrey Fire Service walks through the process of a fire inspection:

“The initial inspection typically occurs shortly after the business licence is issued. The timing of follow-up inspections largely depends on the nature and number of deficiencies discovered at a particular site.

With the building representative present, the inspector will look over the property, identifying deficiencies and detailing them in a written report. A copy of this report is left behind at the site with instructions for correcting any deficiencies found.”

Helps You Stay Prepared

Simply put, by inspecting all of the safety precautions and systems in place beforehand, you can save lives. When you’re in the workplace, you’re probably not constantly thinking of things like health and safety. That’s why it’s up to your health and safety representatives to sort out things like emergency exits, on site AEDs, fire extinguishers, and other aspects that equip a workplace with the right safety tools. In the event of an emergency, they can be life-saving aids, and fire inspections keep you prepared.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner in British Columbia has an extensive document for fire safety training. Here’s an important note on why fire inspections are so important:

“The end result of a fire prevention inspection should:

provide a record of the findings and actions required as a result of the inspections;
produce a property that is safer because the inspection was conducted; and,
inspire an improved attitude towards fire prevention by management and employees.”

How to Set Up a Fire Safety Inspection

Whether you’re a workplace, residential building or home, there are services available for fire inspections. Simply find the fire inspection service that works best for your building’s needs, and request a quote to schedule the inspection.

The inspector will come to the site with a checklist and what to look for. If you want to ensure that all of your safety systems and equipment are in place beforehand, do a once-around the building. Check to see the expiration date on the fire extinguishers and if emergency lights are working, among other things. The more you have prepared beforehand, the better you can communicate with the inspector on your building’s needs.

Here’s our promise for inspecting fire extinguishers in industrial buildings:

Our industrial Fire-Alert professionals across Canada provide complete fire extinguisher solutions. Our fire extinguisher services can address all of your specific fire hazard needs. We will ensure municipal, provincial, and federal compliance to your industrial needs. It is vital that powder used in some extinguishers is disposed of through certified agencies to prevent environmental contamination. We are committed to assisting our industrial and commercial customers to reduce the impact of meeting these legal requirements and make them as painless as possible.

If you’re interested in learning more, we offer industrial and residential services, fire extinguisher inspections, or you can contact us using our contact form.

For a workplace, it can be hard to get things done for your small business outside of work. Meetings with consultants and various other meetings are sometimes too much of a hassle.

If you need to get a fire inspection, that often involves getting in touch with professionals and booking a meeting. However, with a mobile fire inspection service, fire inspection professionals can come to you.

Prepare Your Workplace (or Home)

If you are planning on calling in a fire inspection service, once you’ve set the appointment, make sure your workplace is ready for the inspection. This means performing your own check to make sure that fire extinguishers, alarms, emergency doors, etc. are all in place.

Keith Frangiamore at Buildings.com also points out that you should have an initial chat with the inspection company before they arrive:

“Meet with the inspector prior to beginning the actual inspection and ask what types of items the inspector will be looking for. Give the fire inspector copies of all of your system or equipment inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) reports. Review these reports with the inspector prior to his/her walkthrough, and let the inspector know that any issues noted previously have been corrected.”

Mobile inspections are also available for residential homes or apartment buildings as well. As the building owner, it’s important to check and make sure all of the safety equipment and alarms are in place before the inspection services come. This will save a lot of time during and after the inspection. Get as much as you can in place so that the inspector can let you know what safety precautions your building or workplace needs to improve on.

The city of Oakville explains why you need a fire inspection service and when:

“Inspections and plans reviews enforce the life safety standards of the Ontario Building Code and Ontario Fire Code. All fire and life safety requirements must be met.

Fire inspections/reviews are required for:

Renovations or new construction building approvals
Private Home Daycare
Complaints of violations and/or a request for a public inquiry into violations
Discovery of violations or hazardous occupancies.”

Testing Fire Extinguishers

It is important that fire extinguishers are tested at least once a year in the home and monthly in an industrial or commercial space. During a mobile fire inspection service in the workplace, the inspector will test your fire extinguisher.

We list the recommendations for a fire extinguisher inspection here:

“According to NFPA 10, fire extinguishers in commercial and industrial spaces must be inspected on a monthly basis. This inspection can be done internally by a designated staff member or by a certified fire extinguisher company, like Fire-Alert. On an annual basis, fire extinguishers must be inspected by a certified company.

ABC dry chemical fire extinguishers must be tested every 6 years. A recharge is performed at the 6 year mark followed by a hydrostatic test at the 12 year mark. Co2, Class K (kitchen) and water fire extinguishers must be hydrostatically tested every 5 years. Fire hoses are hydrostatically tested 5 years from the manufacture date and every 3 years thereafter.”

If you’re interested in learning more, we offer industrial and commercial services for fire inspections at the workplace, or you can contact us using our contact form.

In the workplace, there are plenty of emergency services that need to be kept up to date. After an annual inspection of your fire extinguishers, fire alarms, there may still be some features you can’t forget to check.

Fire exits and emergency lighting need to be part of your regular inspections as well. They can help you in the event of an emergency by properly showing the safest route of exit. In the event of a power outage, emergency lights provide lighting to the building and are imperative in providing visuals during an emergency. Here’s how to Inspect emergency lighting in an office building.

When are Emergency Lights Activated?

In the event of an emergency or power outage, the emergency lights will automatically be turned on. Most office buildings are equipped with this and it’s important for the building or office manager to check on these services.

Tom Divine at Consulting-Specifying Engineer recommends testing emergency lights once a month:

“Lamps and power sources must be periodically tested to verify that they continue to function in accordance with code requirements. All emergency lighting systems, regardless of their power source, must be tested monthly for a period of at least 30 seconds. For unit equipment, monthly testing typically consists of a short test of the battery and lamp, implemented by a test switch on the luminaire.”

Replace Bulbs

It seems like a simple task, but replacing bulbs is important to the emergency lights functioning. As part of checking the emergency lights, ensure every light turns on and isn’t malfunctioning or dead. As building manager or fire marshal, you should also make sure that extra light bulbs can be easily accessed in the building, so that there are always a few spare bulbs available.

John Bullock at Lux Review explains whose responsibility it is to maintain emergency lighting in the workplace:

“Anyone who has some control over a premises must take reasonable steps to reduce the likelihood of fire and ensure sure people can safely escape if there is a fire. An employer or other designated responsible person who has control over the premises or activities that take place on the premises, has responsibilities under the Fire Safety Reform Order 2005.”

Replace Batteries

Most emergency lights rely on the building’s backup generator system, triggered during emergency alarms or a power outage. If your emergency lighting system runs on its own battery power, ensure that the batteries are fully charged and check if they need to be changed. This usually has to be checked at least once a year. It’s also important to check the building’s generator system to make sure that the battery is charged and is able to turn on in an emergency.

Koorsen Fire & Security further explains the important of emergency lighting:

“The purpose of emergency lighting is to ensure adequate lighting is provided when the power supply to the normal lighting fails. Emergency lighting is key in making sure people can exit a building safely in the event of an emergency. Emergency lighting illuminates the means of egress which includes stairs, aisles, corridors, ramps, and escalators leading to an exit.”

The best way to check if the emergency lighting system works is through inspections. You can also inspect this during fire test drills. If you need your emergency services inspected in the workplace, contact us using our contact form.

Safety Tips For Heating Your Home