Reducing the threat your business faces from fires can be an important goal for any enterprise's risk management strategy. While fires can be devastating events that can quickly destroy the entire building, there are steps that can be taken to help reduce the overall risk of the building suffering major damages as a result of a fire starting. In particular, the use of fire extinguishers in this process can be invaluable.
Have Fire Extinguishers Placed Throughout The Building
Fire extinguishers can be extremely effective, but they will generally be limited to fairly small fires. As a result, you will need to make sure that individuals are able to quickly retrieve the fire extinguishers before the blaze grows to a size that a standard fire extinguisher may no longer be able to put out. To this end, fire extinguishers should be placed throughout the interior of the building in strategic locations so that employees will be able to quickly retrieve the extinguishers when they notice a fire has started.
Understand The Need To Aim At The Source Of The Flames
Extinguishing a fire can require more skill than individuals may assume. When a person is fighting a small fire, it can be easy to focus on the bright flames that are rising into the air. However, the base of the fire will be more important for extinguishing it. Aiming the fire extinguisher at the base of the flames will allow you to rapidly extinguish the fire without the risk of spreading the flames around. Furthermore, individuals will want to ensure that they spray the extinguisher on the base of the fire until it is no longer producing smoke.
Avoid Letting The Fire Extinguisher's Pressure Getting Too Low
Ineffective maintenance practices can be a common reason for fire extinguishers to malfunction. In particular, individuals that fail to check the pressure in their fire extinguishers on a yearly basis may find that these devices are not in working condition when a fire starts. Over time, the pressure in a fire extinguisher will decrease, and this can limit the ability of it to propel the extinguishing foam. Checking the pressure in the fire extinguisher each year will let you know whether the unit is needing to be repressurized. Generally, this entire process should only take a few minutes to complete, and there are a number of fire extinguishers providers that can also offer basic care and maintenance so that these devices will be ready when a fire starts.
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