Fire Prevention Tips for Retail Businesses

Fire prevention and emergency preparedness are important parts of running your business. No matter if you’re just starting out with your own retail shop, or you’ve been managing a clothing shop in a mall for years: fire safety at work is a crucial part of your job. The best emergency preparedness plan starts with prevention. If you ensure you’re working in accordance with your local bylaws and regulations, you’re already ahead of the game.

 

SmallBizTrends.com makes the important point to “Stay on Top of Fire Code Changes”

“Chances are your local municipality has updated information on how to keep your business safe from a fire. Staying on top of the fire code changes in your area will give you good cutting-edge information.”

Regulations change over time as new technology and new regulations are introduced. If you’ve been in the same building for a few years, or you’re moving to a new one – take a look at what’s changed since you first developed your fire safety plan. You might be surprised at what’s changed.

StateFarm.com shares some helpful tips to follow when setting up your fire prevention plan:

• Fire Plan. Make sure your employees know what to do if there’s a fire. Conduct a fire drill at least once a year to keep employees aware of your workplace fire safety protocol.

• Have a Safety Officer. Designate a person as your office’s fire prevention officer. Their duties will include composing escape routes and meeting points for employees, as well as keeping all of your safety plans, equipment, and information updated.

• Evacuation Plan. In larger buildings, post a fire evacuation plan in several spots around the workplace.

• First Aid. In case of fire injuries, your employees should be familiar with the location of the first-aid kit, which should be kept where possible hazards can occur most, such as in the kitchen.

Now that you know the rules and regulations in your area, it’s time to make a fire safety plan and communicate it clearly to all of your employees. It’s important to host fire drills at least once per year so employees can physically walk the route to the meeting point. It is usually easier for a person to remember something they’ve actually done rather than written instructions or a map.

 

TrustSheildInsurance.ca provides some great tips for customizing your fire prevention plan:

• Make it obvious: Every exit point should have a sign alerting people to the evacuation route for that particular area.

• Keep everyone in the loop: If you update, modify or remove any fire evacuation routes, you must let your employees know.

• Stay organized: Create a list of all your employees, and take note of those who are pregnant, have recently undergone an operation or have disabilities, as they may need assistance during the evacuation process.

• Special events: If there’s an event taking place in your business’ neighbourhood that requires streets to close, or increases foot traffic (such as a parade or marathon), be sure to re-evaluate your assembly points and evacuation procedures.

 

If your business is on a main road or in a busy mall, remember that seasonal activities like parades, sporting events, and others can drastically change your fire prevention plan. Also take note of special decorations and signage you may be using during different times of the year: is your Christmas tree unplugged every night? Are the Sale banners hanging too close to the overhead lighting? It’s important to consider your fire safety plan at all times of the year and with every change you make to your decor.

Now that you know how to create or maintain your fire safety plan, check out how we can help with fire extinguisher inspections, recharges, and many other mobile services to keep you and your business safe.

Running a business can be an exhilarating journey but often it ends up taking up a lot more of your time than you bargained for. From emails to payroll to last minute trips to pick up coffee for the break room: there’s a lot on your plate as a small business owner! Here are some tips to help you make 2020 the year you focus on your talents and learn to delegate the little tasks that eat up all your time.

 

Hire a Virtual Assistant says rchisnapper.com:

“Spend less time doing repetitive admin tasks you don’t like, and more time doing the tasks that are essential for building your business. Virtual assistants can help you organize your day-to-day and take care of all the non-essential tasks so you can focus on the bigger picture. More time will also help you manage your work/life balance, giving you more time to spend with family and friends, while still growing your business successfully.”

You may have thought about hiring an assistant and found the expense was just too high to justify. The amazing difference of a virtual assistant is that you don’t have to pay a set number of hours, provide a desk and computer or really anything! They’re more like an extension of yourself than a separate assistant. Just onboard them with all of the logins they need access to and then assign tasks as they come up. If there are tasks that you’re just not that great at, don’t know how to do, or you just hate doing them: assign it to your VA! For example, you could get your VA to update your social media and blog, they could send follow-up emails to solicit reviews from clients, your VA could even send out birthday cards for you!

 

Use accounting software says accountingweb.com

Accounting software automates repetitive tasks. Modern accounting software automates repetitive tasks such as invoicing, statements, payments reminder & collection, reporting and budgeting so that you don’t have to manually go through each of the above processes which is time consuming and adds up to the employee costs.

Accounting software has come a long way! One piece of software can handle payroll, inventory, and your expense tracking – even your mileage! By implementing one simple platform that tracks all aspects of your operations, it’s also a lot easier to start delegating some of those time consuming and repetitive tasks.

 

Outsource your fire safety inspections

“Fire extinguisher inspection 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.”

Fire safety is usually one of the most overlooked tasks with small businesses, but it doesn’t have to be. With service providers like Fire Alert, it’s as easy as a phone call to schedule your fire extinguisher inspection, order emergency lighting signage, and even stock your first aid kit. There’s no need to transport your fire extinguishers for testing, Fire Alert comes to your location and completes your mandatory inspection and any other services you need. You could even get your virtual assistant to take care of it!

Now that you know how to save time by automating and delegating certain tasks, check out how we can help with fire extinguisher inspections, recharges, and many other mobile services to keep you and your business safe.

Safety training and emergency preparedness is an important part of leading a safe team in the restaurant industry. Especially when conditions are already more dangerous than usual, like with industrial cooking equipment. It’s important to abide by safety regulations like WHMIS, but what about fire safety planning in restaurants? We’re going to look at some of the top tips for safety planning and preparedness in restaurants and industrial food service environments so you can keep your team safe and productive.

 

The NFPA.org tells us about the average 7,410 fires each year that happen in restaurants:

“Cooking equipment was the leading cause of fires in these properties, accounting for 61% of fires and 38% of direct property damage. Electrical distribution and lighting equipment was responsible for 9% of fires, but 21% of direct property damage, while heating equipment was responsible for 9% of fires and 9% of direct property damage. Smoking materials caused 7% of fires and 7% of direct property damage. Four percent of fires had an intentional cause, but these fires caused 10% of direct property damage.”

It’s shocking to hear that there are almost 7,500 fires per year that the NFPA has been tracking. But the good news is that many of these fires are completely preventable with proper fire safety planning.

 

ModernRestaurantManagement.com provides some advice for fire prevention:

“Consider your facility’s risks. Examining the unique risks of a workplace is an important responsibility for any property manager or building owner.  Assess your facility for items that may contribute to the risk of a fire, such as flammable liquids, electrical equipment or storage of combustible materials. Take note of specific hazards and make sure functional and up-to-date fire extinguishers and systems are in place to help minimize the impact of a fire.”

Is your restaurant in a standalone building or is it connected to others in a strip mall or a larger structure? Even if you are not a restaurant, cafeterias inside hospitals and kitchens in hotels and convention centers need to consider how their unique location changes their fire safety plan.

 

The webstaurantstore.com gives a simple checklist for fire prevention in a restaurant:

• Have multiple fire extinguishers in your establishment, and do not put them only in your kitchen.

• Install emergency lights and exit signs throughout your space.

• Look into appliances with fire suppression systems. When activated, these units can switch off your fuel supply and dispense substances that help to put out flames. Some units release these chemicals automatically and others have manual switches.

Now that you know the importance of fire safety planning for restaurants, check out how we can help with fire extinguisher inspections, recharges, and many other mobile services to keep you and your business safe.

Fire extinguishers are one of the only means of suppressing small fires before the fire department can attend the scene and it is vitally important to maintain them year after year. But what does proper fire extinguisher maintenance look like? We’ll explain exactly what you need to do to happen to keep your fire extinguishers up to code.

 

The NFPA 10 is the current version of the code book developed by the National Fire Prevention Association

“NFPA 10 provides requirements to ensure that portable fire extinguishers will work as intended to provide a first line of defense against fires of limited size.”

This is a lengthy code book and can be intimidating for many business owners and managers. We provide fire safety services in accordance with the NFPA 10 and all amendments. The most basic regulations for fire extinguishers are:

“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.”

You can learn more about the regulations for fire extinguishers in Ontario in our recent blog post here.

 

What is a fire extinguisher inspection? An inspection looks at the fire extinguisher itself as well as it’s placement and other factors. An inspection can be done by yourself or an employee on a regular basis, but must be inspected by a certified company either every year or every six years depending on the type. Some tips for carrying out an inspection yourself:

1. Have a checklist handy with the date of each fire extinguisher inspection and follow each step until complete. Be sure to mark the date of inspection on the inspection tag of your fire extinguisher.

2. Your extinguisher should not be blocked by any equipment, coats or objects that may interfere with access in case of an emergency.

3. Always check to ensure that the pressure of the unit is at the recommended level by checking the gauge to confirm that the needle is in the green zone which will show that the pressure is right where it should be.

4. Make sure the nozzle or other parts of the extinguisher are not obstructed in any way.

5. If your portable fire extinguishers have a pin and tamper seal, check to see if they are intact and undamaged.

6. Check for dents, rust, leaks or any sign of abuse or wear. Take a damp rag and wipe off any gunk or chemicals that may have accumulated on the device.

7. Shake your extinguisher to prevent the powder from settling to the bottom.

 

What is a fire extinguisher recharge? To “recharge” your fire extinguisher means that it is being refilled and will work reliably in the event of a fire. A fire extinguisher that is older than six years and has not been recharged is at risk of not operating and being unable to suppress a fire.                                   

If you are unsure if your fire extinguisher needs to be refilled, here are some helpful hints:

1. Check the pressure gauge, if it’s fallen below the functional level, it’s time to refill.

2. If your unit does not have a gauge, have it tested by a Fire-Alert Expert immediately.

3. Have your extinguisher checked annually.

4. Even if you have not used your extinguisher, it needs to be filled every six years.

5. If you do use it, refill it as soon as possible after use.

Now that you know the importance of fire extinguisher maintenance, check out how we can help with fire extinguisher inspections, recharges, and many other mobile services to keep you and your business safe. Fire-Alert experts are trained and certified and will reliably perform maintenance and recharge your fire extinguishers on-site.