Fire Prevention and Protection for Property Management

Prevention

Count on one hand how many times you have had to put out a fire.  How many fingers did you get to?  For most of us actually puttingout a fire is not a usual occurrence and I am not talking about campfires.  To be OSHA compliant it is important to have training on fire prevention and protection.  Fires can happen when you least expect it and complacency and lack of training can be extremely dangerous to you, your team and your company.

We all have had bumps and bruises, but compare those to any burns you have had.  There are very few dangers that are more traumatic to our body.  Awareness can save us from any of that pain.  Some of the most common reasons why fires happen are arson, smoking materials and wires from appliances and computer equipment.   What policies and procedures do you have to combat these threats?

Basic knowledge of fire extinguishers is a must.  For example: What type of extinguisher do use for combustibles like paper, wood and trash?  What type of extinguisher do you need for oil or a grease fire?  This is where safety training in the multifamily industry can be lifesaving.

Protection

In order to combat complacency regular drills are necessary to keep us sharp.  Many times these are mandated by your property management company or if you are in a corporate office the building owner may have these regularly scheduled as my friend Kristi found out this morning.  Just because we are out of school it does not mean that these are not necessary.  So embrace them and pump up your team to be appreciative of them.

You also need to make sure that you know what to do in case there is a fire besides knowing how to use the fire extinguisher.  Do you have the appropriate numbers listed by the phone?  Yes even 911 should be written by your phone.  You may think that this is a number that you would never forget, but when fear is in the equation you never know what your mind will do.  This is a simple step that could save lives.  Do you know where your emergency exits are and where a backup exit is located?  These questions and many others need to be addressed with your team and become a regular part of your policies, procedures and training.

The old expression still rings true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Let’s keep our apartment friends and teammates safe.  If you have any unique ideas on how you implement procedures for fire prevention and protection, please comment below.  Also if you value these posts, consider subscribing in the top right corner so that you don’t miss out on anything.

Written by Jonathan Saar

Take a look at our demo version of our monthly safety talks mandated by OSHA.  Contact us for info on how your team can be enrolled.