Commercial building fires are more common than you may realize.
Many of us associate fires with residential fires and don’t typically concern ourselves with commercial fires or commercial fire safety. This is in part because businesses have other concerns to worry about, like employee retention, profit margins, or legal issues. That said, commercial building fires are more common than you may realize and they can happen for a number of factors that we are able to control via a robust commercial fire safety approach. Let’s take a look at some possible causes.
Cooking-Related Fires
Between one-third and one-fourth of nonresidential fires can be attributed to cooking equipment. While they are usually controlled in a timely manner and thus cause less damage, they are preventable with the right commercial fire safety protocols in place. Just remember that restaurants aren’t the only businesses that suffer from kitchen fires, it’s important that any business with a kitchen prepares for this potential.
Arson
Intentional fires are also a common cause for commercial fires and can be one of the most damaging kinds of fires, resulting in the most property damage as well as harm to civilians. These kinds of fires usually happen outside of business hours and are more difficult to control for. However, be aware of areas like bathrooms, trash facilities, garages, or open areas with dry brush that may all create an opportunity for an arsonist to cause harm.
Accidental Fires
Accidents happen and that is why commercial fire safety is so important. You need to care for factors like space heaters that get left on, carelessly discarded cigarettes that can ignite a fire, or electrical fires where someone plugged in too many devices into an extension cord. Proper fire safety within your business can go a long way in educating employees or guests and preventing a fire from happening.
Heating Fires
Heating fires are likely the least common kind of fire as we have developed great fire safety protocols around heating elements like central heating units, water heaters, fireplaces, or other heating systems. Just remember that any of these systems need to be regularly inspected and kept up to code in order to prevent heating fires in your commercial business.
Commercial and Residential Fire Prevention from Judd Fire Protection
If you want to ensure your home and business are safe throughout the year, trust Judd Fire Protection, LLC. We have over two decades of experience designing, installing, inspecting, and repairing residential and commercial fire protection systems. We serve clients throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. If you are interested in finding out more about our services and protecting your home and business, give us a call at 410-871-3480 or contact us online. For more fire safety tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.