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Ensuring employees’ safety is essential for the success of any business, including real estate. As a reliable real estate agency, you probably assess overall fire safety measures when renting or selling a property. But, did you consider fire safety rules for your agency? A mishap like fire may affect your employees’ well-being, leading to damages in your business. Therefore, you must comply with all fire safety rules and invest in safety measures. From using fd30s fire door to practicing the evacuation process, you must consider overall fire safety regulations while establishing or running a real estate agency. Compliance with the fire safety rules will save and ensure minimum damage to your staff and resources if a mishap happens.
Here we will help you recall and understand the prime fire safety rules that can save your real estate agency from severe loss.
Evacuation
When a fire breaks out, the building occupants have less time to escape and save their lives. Therefore, every building must have proper means of the emergency escape or evacuation routes for a quick and easy escape. For instance, you can install fire doors with glass at each doorway of your building to ensure easy escape.
Most importantly, the escape routes must be free from obstruction that may delay or restrict the employees from escaping the area. The building owner or occupant must not keep any object in between the escaping means or paths.
Evacuation Diagrams And Signs
In emergencies, the building occupants must get a quick idea of escaping and going outside. It is essential for building owners to place proper evacuation signs and diagrams everywhere needed to guide occupants. These diagrams and symbols should contain appropriate icons, colors, and must be clear enough to the occupants. These should be placed in visible places on every evacuation path.
Evacuation Coordination Procedures
An evacuation during emergencies should be carried out with a coordinated procedure. The evacuation should follow a procedure for,
- Communicating and alerting the occupants
- Arranging a proper evacuation for all of them
- Identifying if everyone has evacuated safely
- Notifying the fire brigade of the number of occupants evacuated with their identification
Evacuation Plan
Building owners must have a proper emergency exit plan for an easy and quick escape of the occupants and ensure less possible harm. The plan should be in line with fire safety measures and should include the following information:
- Name and address of the building/property
- Name, contact numbers, and address of the building owner and occupier
- The evacuation coordination procedure for the building
- Name and contact details of persons in charge of the evacuation coordination procedures.
- Detailed evacuation guide according to the evacuation coordination procedure
- A detailed guide for fire safety equipment usage, specifically the fire extinguisher
- Action plan for training employees and other occupants on using the fire safety equipment properly.
Evacuation Practice
A successful evacuation depends on real estate fire safety practices. It is essential for a real estate agency to regularly perform fire drills to identify the accurate action plan during a fire. A fire drill must be practiced at least twice a year.
Limit of Occupancy
The building must be occupied with a limited number of people, to avoid overcrowding and ensure easy evacuation and minimum harm to lives during a fire. The building’s occupancy limit depends on several factors, such as;
- The type of building/use
- The floor area
- The flammable materials in the space
- The available fire safety equipment
- The number of evacuation doors present in the building
Fire Safety Installations
Every property owner must have installed prescribed Real Estate Agency Fire Safety equipment and systems in the building for protecting occupants from fire. The owner or landlord or building safety manager is in charge of supplying and maintaining this safety equipment. Make sure your real estate agent is equipped with below necessary fire safety equipment with regular maintenance,
Alarms
Smoke alarms play a crucial role in preventing fire and saving lives. It is required to install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of a commercial building. It is also recommended to install additional smoke detectors in hallways and other strategic areas throughout the building. The safety alarms must be inspected monthly, six-monthly, and yearly to ensure proper working.
Fire Doors
Fire doors are best at preventing the spread of fire and smoke. Thus, installing custom fire doors with multiple units at all thresholds in the building is essential. If it is a multi-unit building, fire doors must be installed at staircase entryways and corridors. Building owners are in charge of maintaining good working conditions by performing six monthly and yearly inspections.
Other Fire Safety Installations Required in a Building
- Emergency Lighting and Exit Signage (half-yearly and yearly inspections)
- Fire Extinguishers (half-yearly and yearly inspections)
- Fire Blankets (half-yearly and yearly inspections)
- Fire Sprinkler Systems (monthly, half-yearly, and yearly inspections)
- Fire Hydrants (half-yearly and yearly inspections)
- Fire Hose Reels (half-yearly and yearly examinations)
Final Thoughts!
The prime aim of fire safety regulations is to save lives and avoid severe loss. If you wish your real estate agency to keep thriving, make sure to protect your staff and property by strictly complying with all these regulations. While some rules and measures may be costly, they are worth investment, as they would save you from significant damage. For instance, just fire doors installation can significantly reduce fire spreading and save many lives.
