Home and Business Fire Safety Checklists

Fires can do away with a business or home. Is your OKC or Tulsa home or business safe from a fire? Planning and prevention are really key to escaping this awful kind of devastation. Note the fire safety checklist below for tips on how to safeguard your home and business. Many of these steps may seem tedious, but they’re important to identifying and removing fire hazards, and therefore important to saving lives and property. 

Home Fire Safety

“During a home fire, working smoke alarms and a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly,” the American Red Cross noted, “can save lives.” 

The American Red Cross offers several fire safety checklist items for the home including:

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test these smoke alarms every month and replace the batteries at least once a year. 

Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear a smoke alarm.

Talk with all household members about a fire escape plan and rehearse the plan twice a year.

Keep items that can catch fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters. 

Remain in the kitchen when grilling, frying, or broiling. Keep anything that can catch fire – like towels, pot holders, plastic and clothing – away from the stove. 

 

Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to sleep. 

 

Install carbon monoxide detectors in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas. 

Use a portable Tulsa fire extinguisher only if you have been trained by the fire department and in the following conditions: The fire is confined to a small area, and is not growing. The room is not filled with smoke. Everyone has exited the building. The fire department has been called. 

Business Fire Safety Checklist

The State of Ohio Department of Commerce suggested a fire safety checklist for businesses including: 

Have a fire safety plan ready and established for your facility.  Make sure all employees are acquainted with the plan and know what to do if they see a fire or smoke. Make sure that employees who are expected to use a fire extinguisher are trained annually. 

A fire dill should be conducted at least annually to ensure that all employees know how to leave the facility quickly and safely. 

Check to make sure the local fire department is well aware of your facility, its location, and specific hazards. 

Make sure heating units are checked at least annually. 

Where smoking is permitted, make sure there are enough non-combustible cigarette receptacles and that they are separate from general waste containers. 

Make sure waste containers are emptied daily, and that all exits, stairways, and hallways are clutter-free at all times. Make sure areas in and around the building are kept free from accruing packing materials, paper, or other combustible materials. 

Check electrical outlets regularly to ensure they are not overloaded. Make sure extension cords are the correct size (wire gauge, electrical load, length) and used for portable equipment only. 

Make sure your Tulsa or OKC fire alarm system is tested at least annually. Fire extinguishers and fire sprinklers should be inspected annually by a licensed fire company. Make sure there are an adequate number and type of fire extinguishers in the building and that they are readily accessible. 

Make sure that exit doors and exit lights are clearly marked, free from obstruction, and illuminated. Make sure these doors can be opened from the direction of exit without a key or special effort.

Ensure that employees are safe from opening exit doors that lead directly to a street or other area where vehicles operate so that they don’t accidently step into the path of traffic when exiting.

Ensure that the valves, standpipes, and fire department sprinkler connections are unobstructed and clearly marked.

Make sure room doors are kept closed when not occupied to act as a barrier to smoke and fire.

These are just some of the fire safety checklist items for homes and businesses. 

For a complete list in a printable checklist format for businesses, visit http://www.com.ohio.gov/documents/fire_BusinessFireSafetyChecklist.pdf. Checklists for homes can be found on the American Red Cross or National Fire Protection Association websites. 

As a full-service fire detection and suppression company in Tulsa and OKC, Mac Systems can design and install the best fire protection system for your business, as well as conduct regular inspections and maintenance.