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The next phases of historic building fire suppression retrofitting involve an evaluation of your objectives, selection of the appropriate solution, and final review of that solution. A summary of each of these processes is as follows:
Before a historic building fire protection retrofitting can take place, an assessment must be performed on the building. A Historic Building Preservation Plan or Historic Structures Report should be used as the framework for this assessment if they have already been completed.
Continue reading “Fire Protection for Historic Buildings, Part Two: Assessment” »
Historic building fire protection presents challenges not seen in other buildings. In protecting the significant historic features, two principles must interact: first, the installation and operation of fire safety and suppression devices should have minimal impact on the historic features, and second, these systems and devices should provide maximum protection for the historic features.
Continue reading “Fire Protection for Historic Buildings, Part One” »
With more and more communications systems going wireless, it’s only logical that life safety systems would follow suit. These days, more and more businesses and residential communities around the area are switching to wireless fire alarm systems thanks to their cost benefits and ease of installation.
Running a business means you have to keep your hands in just about a million different pots. With so much responsibility, it can be easy to accidentally let little things slip your mind—including things like your building’s fire protection systems. Your fire protection system is one of those things that you hope to never need. But in the event that you do need it, will yours be able to respond?
Commercial kitchen fire suppression systems are critical to keeping your restaurant or food prep facility safe from fires. NFPA codes 96 and 17 lay out the requirements for kitchen fire suppression system maintenance. In between professional kitchen inspections, there are a couple of things you should pay special attention to:
According to data from the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office, the past 10 years have seen not a single person killed in an apartment fire when that apartment complex was fully sprinklered. For comparison, fires in nonsprinklered apartment buildings have claimed the lives of 114 people over the same time period.
For fires involving ordinary materials like paper, wood, and plastic, ABC fire extinguishers are the fastest and easiest way to prevent major disasters. But for fires in the kitchen, dry chemical fire extinguishers can not only create an unsafe environment but may not be enough to keep flames down. For fires like these, you need a wet chemical fire extinguisher.
Continue reading “Benefits of Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers in Kitchens” »
One of the most common responses in the “fight” against home fire sprinkler requirements is the cost. But according to a Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment report, the cost of installing home fire sprinklers averages just $1.61 per square foot. To give you some perspective, that adds up to about as much as many people would spend on carpet upgrades, a new driveway, etc. Not only that, but studies show that in many areas, homes with installed fire sprinklers actually sell faster than those without.
Continue reading “The Cost of Home Fire Sprinkler Systems” »
We can all agree that fire alarms are essential for keeping you safe in the event of a disaster in your home. But sometimes, they work a little too well! It’s not unheard of for fire alarms to go off when there’s no danger present. Does this mean your fire alarm is defective? Maybe—but there are a couple of things you should check before making your diagnosis!
Continue reading “Why Is My Fire Alarm Going Off For No Reason?” »
