Safety Strategies
Here are 10 ways to avert a fire-related tragedy at your property.
1. Call in the pros. “Most municipal fire departments will provide this service free of charge,” according to Dan Jones, a fire chief in Chapel Hill, N.C. A fire official will walk the property with the owner and point out things that the owner could do to improve safety, reduce risk, and reduce the threat of fire. (If you have any code violations, the fire official will likely require that they be corrected.)
2. Do a self-survey. Your insurance company might be able to help. “Our loss control department offers a self-inspection checklist that deals with every kind of loss,” says Steve Bushnell, product manager for commercial real estate at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. “The owner can walk the property every six months and do an assessment. [Then owners] can do a pretty good job of risk-managing their own account.”
3. Have an HVAC contractor check the heating system at the beginning of the heating season. “If systems aren’t maintained, even the structurally best building will have problems,” says Jones.
4. Have a regular schedule for inspecting and cleaning chimneys. The schedule will vary, depending on chimney use. With high use, it should be done annually; once every two years is a minimum for all chimneys.
5. Make sure exits are clear. Exits should be spot-checked by maintenance staff during site inspections. Since tenants may obstruct the exits at any time, they should be checked frequently.
6. Confirm that sprinkler and alarm systems work. Sprinkler systems should be inspected annually by the sprinkler system installer. Some fire departments also offer this service. The alarm systems can be checked by a maintenance person. Most alarm companies spell out the proper inspection procedure.
7. Have an inspection program in place to ensure the integrity of building firestopping systems. An annual or biannual walk-through survey by maintenance staff and a regular firestop maintenance program will help maintain your property’s fire resistance. “If you’re in a building that’s over 20 years old and you have not updated the electrical system, you should have a contractor check it out,” says Bushnell. “We’ve seen several losses caused by older wiring where the insulation peels back or sometimes rodents gnaw away at the insulation. It’s the cause of some of the biggest losses we have.”
8. Don’t allow grilling on residents’ balconies. Experts say this is a common, but preventable, cause of fire, and a problem regardless of whether the grill is gas or charcoal.
9. Educate residents about fire safety. Between their careless cooking, scented candles, overloaded power strips, dropped cigarettes, and other mishaps, residents qualify as your number one source of fire hazards. “You should frequently mention fire safety issues in tenant newsletters,” advises Jones. “These issues include information on cooking safety and reminders to check batteries in smoke detectors.”
10. Create an evacuation plan and practice it. It’s the responsibility of property owners and managers to help people understand how to evacuate their units in case of a fire. Owners should also designate a meeting place for residents and keep a list of those who are elderly or disabled, so that on-site staff or others can alert the fire department about residents who might be trapped in their apartments.