Remember: Apartments, hotels, offices, and healthcare facilities are the four property classes that account for half of all high-rise fires. But whether you own a high-rise commercial property or a one-story office building, you can’t afford to go without emergency fire protection.
If you own a business, you want to do everything you can to protect your investment. One of the most basic ways to keep your commercial property safe in an emergency is through fire alarm installations. But while most people know that fire alarm systems are a legal necessity, there’s still a lot of misinformation about these live-saving systems that you might assume to be true.
We’ll reveal the truth behind some of these fire alarm misconceptions below.
MYTH: There is no difference between residential and commercial fire alarms
Truth: The fire alarm system you use at home won’t be adequate for protecting your business! Domestic fire alarm installations tend to be quite simple and small. Commercial fire alarms, on the other hand, are usually much more complex. You can often install a smoke detector yourself at home, but for commercial properties, these systems require careful planning and maintenance. Often, commercial detectors are spread out among several buildings or floors; because they need to alert everyone at the same time, they need to be interlinked. There’s a lot of intricate design involved here, which isn’t often the case with residential fire alarm installations.
MYTH: My nose is more capable of detecting a fire than an alarm
Truth: The nose doesn’t always know. You might able to detect the scent of smoke quickly, but you shouldn’t rely on your sense of smell for the safety of your employees or tenants. An early detection alarm system will alert employees and give them enough time to evacuate. Fires can spread very quickly — sometimes too fast to even smell the smoke — so if you don’t have adequate fire protection, someone could end up paying with their life. It’s also entirely possible for a fire to start when no one’s around. Even though no one is on the property, you still stand to lose a lot.
MYTH: After I have my alarms installed, I can relax
Truth: Alarm systems may provide you with a bit more comfort, but your work isn’t done. Not only do you need additional protections like sprinklers, but you’ll also need to have routine fire alarm inspections performed. Most building codes actually require these inspections to be done on a regular basis. If your system doesn’t pass inspection, you’ll be shut down until you bring it up to code. Just as importantly, you should have working fire extinguishers in your building and an updated fire safety plan.
Ultimately, these precautions will keep your employees and your financial investment safe.
At United Fire, we can perform the inspections and fire alarm repairs that your system might require. For more information on fire alarm services in Atlanta, please contact the professionals at United Fire Protection today.
