Let Us Help You Worry Less When a Fire Strikes in your Riverside Business

2/8/2021 (Permalink)

For the safety of your employees, establish escape routes within your map.

Worrying about the cleanup and restoration can be stressful, and many business owners are left with a feeling of helplessness and uncertainty.

SERVPRO Franchise Professionals know restoring peace of mind is just as important as restoring property.

This blogprovides information on the steps to take in an effort to prevent costly secondary damage to your property and possessions should a fire strike your home or business. It also reinforces the importance of being prepared and having a fire escape plan in place.

Your local SERVPRO’s Franchise Professionals want to be there in your time of need, helping you and your customers piece their lives back together.

Our goal is simple:

In an emergency situation, like a building fire, every second counts. How quickly you respond could depend on how prepared you are before the emergency. Emergency planning and training directly influence the outcome of an emergency situation. Facilities with well-prepared employees and well-developed plans are likely to incur less structural damage and fewer or less severe employee injuries.

Local Exits

During a fire, the highest priority it getting everyone out of the building, which means having an emergency escape plan. You should establish two escape routes that move people outside simply and efficiently. Then, you should highlight these routes on a clearly marked map. This map should be displayed as well as included in the written plan. Don't forget to designate a meeting spot outside of the building to gather everyone after evacuation; that way you can make sure everyone is accounted for and regroup. When choosing emergency exits, consider the following recommendations.

• Exits should be clearly marked as well  
• Exit routes should be wide enough to accommodate the number/volume of evacuating person
• Exit routes should remain unobstructed and clear of debris at all times.

Assign Duties

A fire escape plan should also include which people are to be doing what during an emergency. Each unique situation may require different or specialized roles, like safety protocols specific to a lab. However, there are some basics that are almost always covered:

• someone in charge of communications; this includes being in charge of contact information
• section leaders who may be in charge of rounding people up to leave and keeping count
• someone designated to call 911 or coordinate with the authorities
• someone in charge of contacting and overseeing fire remediation services

Train Employees

If you want your plan to run smoothly, you should practice. Your employees need to be familiar with the plan to optimize safety. Make sure to simulate an emergency fire situation and use the evacuation routes at least twice per year. Include education about stopping, dropping and rolling- a technique used if your clothes are on fire. Additional fire safety tips include getting low to avoid inhaling smoke and testing door handles before grabbing them.

Emergency preparedness is essential for the safety of any workplace or commercial space. As a responsible business owner you should put together a fire escape plan as soon as possible, and keep it current as time rolls on.

If you are prepare drawings that show evacuation routes and exits, post them prominently for all employees to see.  Once an escape plan is created, it should be practiced to help familiarize staff with emergency exit routes.  It is important to talk to your local fire department, as local codes may require more frequent drills for various facilities.

Your local SERVPRO Franchise Professionals can help with emergency planning by establishing an Emergency READY Profile, (ERP), for your facility. For more information about the ERP or emergency planning, contact:

SERVPRO of West Riverside City 

951-351-8033.