The Importance of an Office Fire Escape Plan

10/23/2020 (Permalink)

Fire Damage

Fires can be destructive and deadly. The speed at which a fire spreads through a Pasadena facility varies based on the materials and causes of the blaze. Every emergency and fire restoration service likely understands and encourages every commercial property owner to create a fire escape plan. Unfortunately, too many businesses do not know what that entails. Escape plans need not be complicated and should require at least three of the following components:

Two Exit Minimum

The basic emergency escape plan requires a two exit minimum out of every room in your facility. While plans can have more options, two is the minimum because it improves the odds of survival. If a room only has one exit, then people may become trapped if the fire overtakes that exit. Most offices will have a window and a door, these can stand as your exit points, but make sure that there is a feasible way to get to safety from those points.

Clear Pathways

The key to an effective fire escape plan is clear pathways. Make sure that hallways are free of clutter and that exit points are not blocked by shelving. While warehouses and packaging facilities can become overwhelmed with boxes and random items, it is crucial to have processes in effect to maintain order and cleanliness.

Implementation and Practice

It is not enough to create exit strategies. The only way to test the effectiveness of a plan is to implement it and put it into action. Routine practices should take place throughout the year to ensure that every employee makes it safely outside without incident. These scheduled run-throughs will help you tweak the escape strategy if you find there are hiccups.

A fire escape plan is not necessarily complicated to create, but the practice is vital to avoid complacency. If you need help creating a plan for your building, then contact the fire department or a restoration expert for help.