Fire Fighting Equipment

An Overview of Fire Fighting Equipment

Well it has been another interesting year. More fires occured in our beloved United Kingdom, and what's more The Fire Safety Order (FSO) Law 2005 is strictly being implemented in commercial districts. As a former property manager of medium scale commercial establishments, I feel it is essential to point out certain essential points on fire safety based on my experience. This will be a general article, and it would be best of course to obtain specific and technical information from your local fire station and reputable fire safety equipment dealers. I will be stressing more on why we need fire protection than actually getting into details on the fire fighting equipment.

The first thing and probably the cheapest and simplest thing one should install in any commercial establishment, especially in buildings are health and safety signs. These are essential because they work for you and make things more safe and secure even in more common emergency situations other than an actual fire. A first aid kit sign that shows where the first aid kit is stored for example, is useful for anyone injured and for keeping anyone in need of immediate medical attention a bit more time and comfort before one reaches the hospital. The same is true for small office and kitchen fires with your fire extinguisher signs and other signs that point to the location of fire fighting equipment. The most important in my opinion are the signs that point the direction to the fire exit - ensuring a better chance of an efficient yet effective exit of all people in the vicinity in the case of an actual fire.

Fire extinguishers are a close second - whether the manual or the automatic type in conjunction with the fire sprinkler system and a fire alarm system. As pointed out, health and safety signs should also point out the directions and proper instructions of manual fire extinguishers in particular. There are different types of fire extinguishers available recommended for different types of fires. A fire that burns on paper and a fire that burns from a computer will require different chemicals from the extinguisher. Again, with regards to this it is best to inquire with your local fire fighting equipment dealer for more specific information.

More elaborate equipment include the installation of a fire alarm system, an automatic fire extinguisher system and the installation of intumescent material on key places in the vicinity. While these are really hefty on the price tag, they are needed to buy time for immediate safety that only a local fire station force should handle. Plus, you'll need to do this to abide by the law too.

In closing, I would again like to stress for the Nth time that the best recommendation will always come from the authorities especially that of the local fire station and fire equipment dealers. They will help one get into the specifics such as effectively placing the health and safety signs, fire exinguishers and the like. I hope that this post will help you see the importance of fire safety equipment in your own area.