Creating a Fire Escape Plan

8/24/2020 (Permalink)

You should always have a fire evacuation plan for your office or business. It not only maintains a
sense of awareness of fire hazards, but also reassures your team that there is a system in place.
Fires can be incredibly destructive to property, but it is most important that everyone is safe. At
SERVPRO, we want to reassure you that we restore fire damage, so its important to focus first
on the lives of others.
Creating a fire escape plan can involve just a few simple steps:
Prepare exits
You should have a minimum of two exits. This allows traffic to be diffused to that injury from
panic does not occur and prepares for the advent that one exit is blocked off. You should make
sure that exits are clearly identified and easy to access.
Identify high-risk areas
This step is more specific to your business. Imagine where fires are most likely to occur.
Cooking equipment and electrical malfunctions are the most likely areas for fires to start, but
there may be other locations depending on your location and layout. This will help identify
where to place equipment and the most effective escape routes.
Implementation and practice
Plan escape routes and procedures so that everyone knows how to exit the building in the safest
and most efficient way possible. Consider areas where people are most likely to be, and who is
closest to each exit. You should also run regular fire drills. Once a month is a good goal to aim
for.
Mark and maintain equipment
Maintain fire alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting, and sprinklers if applicable. Also mark and
clearly identify fire extinguishers. Ideally, equipment should be placed in areas that are higher
risk, such as where there’s cooking equipment or other fire hazards.

Following these steps can help establish a safer work environment. If your home or property
does suffer from fire damage, give us a call at SERVPRO of Northbrook / Wheeling / Glencoe,
(847) 498-8889. We’re available 24/7 for emergency services for immediate recovery.