If you own a business or have ever had a job, you most likely had to go through a fire safety drill. Most people think these are tedious and unimportant, but a worker who knows what to do in case of fire can really make a difference if there’s ever an emergency.
If you are interested in the main causes of fires in offices, you can learn more in this article http://redtruckfireco.com/office-fires-causes-fire-protection-columbus-oh/, but knowing how to protect yourself from fires is just half of the work. If there is a fire, despite your best efforts, you need to know what to do. So, why do you need fire drills?
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Testing Your Alarm Systems
Most buildings are required to have fire alarms. However, if your building has one installed, your job doesn’t end there. You need to inspect them periodically to ensure they are working. Fire drills are an ideal time to do so, because you are already focusing on the fire safety.
Not only will you know that it is working, but you will be able to recognize the sound, so your reaction times can be quicker if an actual fire strikes.
Delegate Roles
Your fire safety plan should have designated roles for your workers. However, having something written down on a piece of paper is one thing, and actually performing the task is a whole different thing. So a fire drill lets you role play your responsibilities in a case of a real fire.
During the drills, you can try out different teams and different roles for everyone, so you can finally decide who performed best at certain roles, so they can be assigned these responsibilities in your fire safety plan. Some people are less prone to panicking, whereas some people are better at leading. You can learn a lot about your workers and how they cope with pressure during these drills.
Preparedness Helps Your Nerves
This will help people relax and not panic as much if there is ever a real fire. Once you know your role and all the steps you need to take, even the pressure of the real fire won’t be able to disrupt you.
They say that repetition is the key to success, and it works for fire safety drills as well. You and your workers can learn to shave off the time it takes you to perform all of your duties and even learn how to operate fire equipment like fire extinguishers.
Revising Your Fire Safety Plan
You are obligated by law to have a fire safety plan. However, if you never test out that plan, you may not be able to find any potential flaws in it before it is too late. A fire drill will require you to perform your plan in real life, so you can spot any flaws in it as you go along. This enables you to change critical things to perfect your plan.
Even a carefully compiled plan may prove to be a failure if you do not test it. For instance, if you have automatic doors, they may lock down in case of a power outage, so you may be trapped if there’s no workaround for that problem. Testing your plan in practice should give you an idea of what works and what doesn’t.
Fire safety is a serious issue because fires cause billions of dollars and cause numerous injuries and deaths in the USA each year. So take it seriously and make sure that you have fire safety drills as often as you can. You can contact companies which offer courses in fire safety to help you prepare as best as you can.
