When you hear the sound of a fire alarm, it is probably one of the loudest sounds you will ever hear. The shrillness and loudness are intended to startle everyone in the building into action. A faint fire alarm would be useless. In this blog post, we will explore why fire alarms are so loud.
NFPA 72 details the criteria for fire alarm notification appliances, which come in two varieties: audible and visual.
There’s no doubt that exposure to loud noises can harm your hearing. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 85 decibels and above is the hearing loss threshold.
The objective of a fire alarm is to ensure that everyone in the building knows to leave. NFPA rules state that fire alarm horns and sirens should be louder than surrounding noises.
The minimum acceptable level is 15 dB above the average noise level or 5 dB above the maximum ambient sound, whichever is greater. This implies fire alarm horns may be set to 75 dB for a restaurant or office environment, but an industrial facility with loud equipment may need to sound off closer to 120 dB for the sound to stand out from other noises.
The high-volume needs for fire alarms accounts for that sound losing its perceived loudness as it gets farther from the horn, and building materials absorb noise, especially when doors are shut between rooms. To ensure that the sound reaches every corner of the structure, generating a loud decibel level at the source is necessary.
When the shrill sound of a fire alarm pierces your ears, your first impulse is to cover them. While you walk calmly toward the exit and out of the building, covering your ears effectively prevents hearing loss.
However, the most significant thing is establishing a fire evacuation strategy and regularly conducting fire drills. This way, your employees are more particular about what measures to take and where to flee in an emergency. You may reduce tension and exposure time by planning.
Finally, if you believe the decibel level of your fire alarm is too loud, get a professional to inspect your equipment and determine whether it’s safe and in compliance with NFPA 72. Your expert will ensure the volume is appropriate for safety and conformance with NFPA 72.
You may now be more aware of how loud fire alarms can become and why they are so crucial for safety in your house, so you might want to look at the ones you already have.
Now is the time to replace fire alarms if you’re missing any. Please don’t put it off until later; be proactive! Check out our page to learn more about how we can assist you in keeping yourself and your family safe.
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Do you have a fire action plan for your home or workplace yet? If not, you may want to get one in place. A fire action plan outlines the steps that everyone should take in the event of a fire, and it’s hard to understate its importance. It can not only help minimize the damage caused by a quickly spreading fire, but it can also save lives.
If you’re still not convinced, follow along for more on the importance of fire action plans.
Not everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire. Even if you think you have a good handle on it, it certainly doesn’t hurt to do a little prep work to check your knowledge. You may find that once you really start thinking about it, your natural instincts may not necessarily work out in practice.
Besides, if you’re in charge of a lot of employees or even the other members of your household, you want to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do in order to stay safe. You may not be able to yell out instructions in the moment if someone is struggling to escape.
A fire action plan can help ensure that everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire, and that they know it well. This is especially true if you practice your plan and conduct fire drills on a regular basis. That way, when a fire does break out, everyone will be able to react quickly and efficiently.
When a fire suddenly breaks out, it can be a truly terrifying situation. It’s therefore completely understandable that a lot of people would panic, as it puts their lives in danger. However, this is not ideal in an emergency, as panic can cause us to lose our focus and behave erratically and irresponsibly. This can then lead to further disasters, such as tripping and falling or being unable to properly use fire extinguishers.
A fire action plan helps to reduce panic by giving people a clear and concise set of instructions to follow in the event of a fire. This can help to restore some order and calm during an otherwise chaotic situation.
In the event of a fire, it’s important to have a clear chain of command. This helps ensure that everyone knows who is in charge, and that they are following the instructions of someone who is prepared for their role. This can be especially important in workplaces, where there may be a lot of people and confusion.
A fire action plan helps to establish a clear chain of command by clearly designating certain people to perform essential tasks. Ideally, these are people who are most likely to keep cool-headed and calm in an emergency. After all, you don’t want someone with an important job panicking when it matters most. You want to be confident that every step in the fire action plan runs smoothly and, most importantly, that everyone remains safe.
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An emergency assembly area, also referred to as an evacuation assembly area, is a designated spot where people are supposed to gather in the event of an emergency. This could apply to any type of emergency situation, from a fire to a natural disaster, or even something like a terrorist attack. However, no matter what the cause, the main goal of emergency assembly areas remains the same: to keep people safe.
In this blog post, we will discuss emergency assembly areas and provide some helpful tips on how to choose one for your building. Let’s get started!
As touched upon above, an emergency assembly area is a designated meeting place for people to go to in the event of an evacuation. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t intended to be the final safety destination. Instead, an emergency assembly area acts as more of a midpoint between the emergency and safety.
You may be wondering, why not just head all the way to safety? After all, it’s an emergency! While that may be true, the main purpose of this area is to help keep people safe and accounted for during an evacuation. Meeting up and checking in with everyone at a midpoint provides a good opportunity to conduct a head count and make sure there’s no one left at the emergency site.
Now that we know a bit more about emergency assembly areas, let’s discuss how to go about choosing one. There are several factors you’ll need to take into consideration when making your selection. The following are a few of the most important things to keep in mind.
One of the first things you’ll want to consider is the size of your emergency assembly area. Of course, you’ll ideally want a large enough area to accommodate everyone in your building. However, depending on your location, this isn’t always possible. If you don’t have enough space to fit everyone, try to make the best of it by choosing an area that’s large enough to at least accommodate the majority of your employees.
The location of your emergency assembly area is also important. When choosing a spot, you’ll first want to make sure it’s far enough away from the evacuation site. This is why emergency assembly areas are often outside, as it helps to ensure that everyone remains at a safe distance from the potential danger.
You’ll also want to make sure the area is easily accessible. If it’s too difficult to reach, people may have a hard time getting there, and every second counts in an emergency. Try to choose an area that’s easy enough for everyone to get to, but not so close that it puts them in danger.
Last but not least, you’ll want to consider the safety of the area. This is probably the most important factor to take into consideration when choosing an emergency assembly area. After all, the whole point is to keep people safe!
When assessing the safety of a potential location, there are a few questions you’ll want to ask yourself. Is the area:
If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then the area is probably a good choice for an emergency assembly area.
Want another way to prepare your building for an emergency? Contact Fire-Alert today to learn more about our fire extinguisher services!
While they may not seem like the best use of company time, you should never underestimate the importance of holding regular fire drills in the workplace. In fact, according to the Ontario Fire Code, they’re required by law. Fire drills must be conducted in most commercial buildings at least once every 12 months, and in others every 3 months.
This often leaves a lot of owners and managers wondering: why do we need to spend so much company time on something that isn’t likely to happen? Can’t we just go over this during regular employee training?
It may seem like a waste of time, but there are some real benefits to regularly running through these procedures with your employees. Keep reading to learn how fire drill procedures can improve your building’s safety.
If you want to be good at something you need to practice, and that’s exactly what you’re doing by holding regular fire drills. By having everyone in the building practice proper procedure in a simulated but safe environment, you can feel confident that they’ll know exactly what to do to keep themselves and others safe in a real emergency.
Now, it is true that some people may panic so much in a fire that their memories fly out the window, but you certainly can’t use that as an excuse to skip out on fire drills. Besides, by holding them regularly, you may be able to prevent some of that panic because people are so used to going through the procedures. It’s not just your confidence that increases with regular fire drills – it’s your employees’ too.
This is one of the most important things about holding regular fire drills: it allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of your fire safety plan. Sometimes, something that sounds good in theory doesn’t work out in practice, and you certainly don’t want to take any chances when there’s an emergency.
Fire drills are a great chance to see your plan in action, and allow you to make changes to your procedures as necessary. A lot can happen in a building between yearly or quarterly fire drills that may throw off your plan, so you should use these drills as opportunities to catch these changes and make adjustments. There’s no use in having a fire safety plan and procedure if it’s not keeping everyone safe, so make sure you’re on top of everything.
A lot of fire safety plans assign certain responsibilities to certain employees, and it’s essential to know that they understand their assignments and will be able to carry them out in an emergency. You can’t have someone dropping the ball if they’re playing a major role in keeping everyone safe, so it’s important to see them in action during the drills.
For example, you may find out that one of your assigned employees can’t wield a fire extinguisher as well as they thought. You can then choose to assign that responsibility to someone else or invest in some fire safety training for that employee.
Want to learn more about fire extinguishers in the workplace? Contact Fire Alert today to see how we can help!
While many people may not know everything about fire safety, they can almost certainly recognize one essential piece of equipment: the fire extinguisher. Indeed, this red fire-fighting device is often the first line of defense against small fires in many homes and businesses. However, it’s only going to be effective if you know how to use it properly.
While you can take a course in fire safety if you really want to get comfortable with a fire extinguisher, it’s not necessary. The next time you go to use a fire extinguisher, all you need to remember is PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep. Let’s learn more about the PASS method and other fire safety basics below.
Before you use an extinguisher, you need to make sure you have the right one for the type of fire. The following are the different classes of fires and extinguishers.
Look for one of these classifications on the label of a fire extinguisher to determine if it’s appropriate for the job.
The PASS method is an easy way to remember how to use a fire extinguisher in an emergency. After verifying that you’re using the correct extinguisher for the type of fire, follow these steps:
The first thing you need to do is pull out the pin that prevents you from pressing the handle on the fire extinguisher. This is a safety feature that helps ensure the extinguisher won’t accidentally go off in someone’s hands.
Look for the pin near the top of the extinguisher. After you locate it, just pull it out to unlock the handle.
Standing from a safe distance, aim the nozzle low, toward the base of the fire.
Once the nozzle is pointing in the right direction, squeeze the handle. Try and squeeze it slowly and evenly for best results. Then, to stop the stream, simply release the handle.
While squeezing, sweep the nozzle of the extinguisher from side-to-side. Make sure you’re always pointing toward the base of the flames as you sweep the area.
Though the steps are fairly basic, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) doesn’t believe that children shouldn’t use portable fire extinguishers. This is due to many reasons, such as:
If an adult is around, they should always be the one to operate a fire extinguisher. Children should be taught to leave the situation as soon as possible.
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Even if you have every precaution in place, fires happen in the workplace. This is especially true when you work in an industry that deals with a lot of chemicals and other combustible materials. In fact, from 2011 – 2015, US fire departments responded to an average of about 37,910 industrial and manufacturing fires a year.
While fires may occur more often in these industries, office buildings and other types of businesses are certainly not exempt from the risk. Therefore, it’s important that every workplace has a fire evacuation plan in place. Even if you never have to use it, you’re better safe than sorry.
Here are the six steps to develop an effective fire evacuation place.
Establishing a clear chain of command will help the evacuation process go more smoothly. Consider adding the following roles to your plan.
If you have a Communication Lead, this will largely be their responsibility. After they notify the employees and fire department and everyone is safely outside, they may need to also contact others. For example, you don’t want delivery drivers, customers, and suppliers showing up if the building is on fire.
Draw a map of your building and plan out your fire escape routes. Make sure you establish primary and secondary routes out of the building in case the fire blocks one of the paths.
When creating your evacuation map, ask yourself the following questions.
You likely have a variety of fire suppression and prevention tools at the workplace. Make sure you know how to use your fire extinguishers, detectors, alarms, and sprinkler systems, and that they’re inspected regularly.
To make sure you have everything covered, run through your fire evacuation plan with your employees. Make sure everyone knows what to do and where to go if a fire breaks out at your workplace. You may even want to go through a fire drill on a regular basis to help ensure that no one forgets what to do in an emergency.
If you identify some areas for improvement during a drill, then adjust your plan accordingly for the next ones. You may even need to report and document these drills and changes, so be sure to check your company’s policies and safety requirements.
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If you ask someone where to find a fire extinguisher in their home or workplace, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. However, if you try asking a follow up question about how to use the fire extinguisher, then…well…they may be less helpful.
This isn’t surprising, as many people go their whole lives without ever having to use a fire extinguisher. While it’s great that they haven’t been put in such a dangerous situation, this also means their inexperience with fire extinguishers could work against them in an emergency situation.
If this sounds like you, then you’ve found the right article. Let’s go over the basics of fire extinguishers to help keep you and everyone around you safe in a dangerous situation.
A fire extinguisher isn’t a one size fits all deal – you have to use different ones for different types of fires. There are 5 common classes of fire, including:
A lot of fire extinguishers found in homes and businesses are labelled as Class ABC, so they can be used for multiple types of fires. You can typically find the remaining two types, Classes D and K, in factories and commercial kitchens respectively.
There are various types of fire extinguishers available, but the following are the most common ones.
Portable fire extinguishers tend to be quite effective. In fact, a survey by The National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors reported that they were able to extinguish fires nearly 95% of the time. This may be because they have been designed so that anyone can use them – all you have to remember to do is PASS.
Keep in mind that portable fire extinguishers are only meant for small fires, so they only contain so much of the extinguishing agent. Therefore, you should always have an escape route ready to go in case the extinguisher runs out before the fire does.
For more on fire extinguishers, and to take advantage of our mobile extinguisher services, click here to contact Fire-Alert today!
Construction sites are full of potential safety hazards. For example, there’s the risk of injury from tools, falling materials, and falling from a certain height yourself. This is exactly why most sites require workers to wear appropriate PPE, such as hard hats, safety boots, and work gloves. This equipment can be quite effective in protecting workers from certain dangers, but there’s one situation where they’re pretty much useless: a fire.
Since fires can cause so much devastation so quickly, it’s important that workers are able to identify and minimize fire risks while going about their daily tasks. Let’s take a look at the basics of construction fire safety.
There are 3 elements that must be present to create a fire: the right amount of oxygen, heat, and fuel. This is commonly referred to as the fire triangle. Then, if you add in the chemical reaction that is fire, you have the fire tetrahedron.
The basics of fire safety are all about keeping these elements away from each other, especially the fuel and heat/ignition sources. Since there are often a ton of these components at a construction site, there are many situations where workers may be at risk.
With so many potential fire hazards around, it can be next to impossible to completely eliminate each and every one. Therefore, the best way for workers to practice fire safety is to try and minimize their risk.
Here are some tips for practicing fire safety at a construction site.
Hot work refers to any kind of work that could create an ignition source, like an open flame or spark. This includes cutting, grinding, and welding.
In order to keep safe during hot work, construction sites should have the following:
These are potential fuel sources. As such, it is important to store all flammable and combustible materials far away from any ignition sources. If they must be used in a risky area, then monitor them closely.
If heaters are required on-site, then they should be used as directed, monitored closely, and be UL certified. A UL certification means that the product has met the safety standards of UL, a leader in safety-related science.
All smoking should be prohibited on construction sites, as cigarettes are a huge fire hazard. Smoking should be limited to designated smoking areas that are far away from any fuel sources, like flammable and combustible materials.
Like smoking, all heat-producing cooking equipment should be banned from construction sites. This includes hot plates, microwave ovens, and grills. This isn’t to say that workers can’t have their breaks on-site – they just can’t cook them there.
Sometimes, workers can take every precaution and fire will still break out. To minimize the damage, be sure to do the following:
In the event of a fire, it’s important to be able to determine what type or class that fire is. This will help you understand how serious the situation is and whether or not you should evacuate your building. There are five types of fires: A, B, C, D, and E. The five classes of fires are classified by both their response level and their potential for harm. In this blog post, we will discuss five types of fires in detail so that if a fire does break out at your business or home you can take immediate action!
Class A fires are the most common and also the least serious. This type of fire is characterized by fuel such as bits of paper, wood, or coal that’s burning in a fireplace or trash can for example. In order to put out this class A fire, you would need water from a hose, bucket, or hydrant depending on what was available at hand!
Class B fires consist of flammable liquids including kerosene, gasoline, and oil among other things which are actively spilling onto combustible material like clothing fabrics for instance. The appropriate response level here would be to evacuate your home immediately if it has caught on fire inside because it can spread very quickly due to its high volatility. Extinguishing types of flames will require water or foam.
Class C fires are electrical in nature, so they’re caused by electricity that ignites combustible material like paper and wood for instance. They can be put out with water if the fire is small but otherwise you should evacuate your home immediately because of its unpredictable nature which makes it hard to fight.
Class D fires consist of combustible metals such as magnesium and titanium among other things that have been ignited by a heat source such as an oxy-acetylene torch for example. The appropriate response level would depend on what type of materials were being used at the time since this class requires special knowledge about how materials burn depending on their composition before taking any action against them! You may need different types of extinguishants such as sand, graphite powder or sodium bicarbonate to put out this type of fire.
Class E fires are the most serious and include flammable gases like propane and methane. The ignition point for these types of fires is usually very small so they can easily become an inferno if not contained! This class often takes place in industrial settings where there’s a lot of potential fuel sources. The appropriate response would be to evacuate your home immediately because of the high-level danger that these fires present! Extinguishing methods may vary but could involve specialized equipment like gas suppression systems.
Understanding the five classes of fires is important because it will determine how you’ll need to fight the fire and what kind of response level is required. There is no need for a fire to ruin everything, and the more you prepare, the better your response can be if it happens.
While a lot of people like the freedom and independence that comes along with driving, it’s probably safe to say that no one likes having to stop for gas (have you seen the prices lately?!). Not only does it add to your total travel time, but it puts you and everyone around you at an increased risk of being a victim of a fire or explosion.
Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to help prevent gas station fires. Here are our 4 fire safety tips for gas stations.
This should be a no-brainer. A gas station is filled with a ton of highly flammable material, so don’t use anything that has the potential to start a fire while you’re there. This includes lighters, matches, even a magnifying glass in the right light.
This doesn’t just apply to when you are outside of your vehicle, either. Even if you are parked there with the windows up, do not use any potential sources of ignition. And if you’re a smoker, make sure your cigarette is out before you pull into the gas station, and don’t light another one up until you have left.
Even if you’re not much of a driver yourself, you probably know that you’re supposed to turn the engine off before filling up at the pump. While a major fire or explosion is unlikely, it is entirely possible that a running engine could ignite a fire, especially if fuel manages to leak through the nozzle while you’re refuelling your vehicle.
After you turn the engine off, it’s also not a bad idea to take the keys out of the ignition, especially if you have kids. This helps ensure they don’t accidentally turn it on while they’re waiting for you to finish at the pump.
This may be an even more unlikely scenario, but it is technically possible to start a fire with a mobile phone. In fact, a spark only needs about 0.2 mJ of energy to ignite gas vapour, which is a very small portion of the energy stored in a phone battery. However, since cell phones aren’t designed to make sparks, the odds of this actually happening are extremely slim.
Cell phones can be fire hazards in other ways, though. If you’re scrolling through your phone while refuelling, for example, you may end up overfilling your tank without realizing it, causing gas to spill everywhere. Mobile phones can be the ultimate distraction, so it’s best to put them away while you’re at the pump.
Again, this is a rarity, but static electricity can cause sparks. If you’ve built up a big static charge sliding in and out of your vehicle and the conditions are right, you can discharge a spark that could ignite a fire.
Therefore, you should try and discharge any built-up static before even touching the pump. It’s easy enough to do – simply touch a metal part of your vehicle. Problem solved!