Creating A Fire Evacuation Plan For Your Business

10/13/2020 (Permalink)

It’s always a wise move to be ready for whatever might happen. Your commercial property is an important investment for yourself and your work staff, and one of the most important things for you to do to guard lives and livelihoods is to create a fire evacuation plan for your business. 

As you are creating your strategy, you will want to think about the types of disasters that are most common to your area in addition to fires; no disaster can be foreseen. 

Some important points to consider while you are creating a fire evacuation plan for your business are:

• Where are the safest areas for people to go should a fire break out? Establish safe spots that are easily accessible and far enough away that no one will be in danger of fire. 
• Is a map posted in all public areas? A map leading people to safe areas needs to be clear and labeled properly so that anyone can reference it and easily know where to go. Make sure every language commonly spoken in your area is reflected.
• What kind of shelters are available for people? In addition to fire safety, keep in mind that these shelters could be used for bad weather, too. For areas that experience tornadoes, for example, an area on the lowest floor or below ground that is constructed to withstand the highest wind forces will be necessary. 

• How will tenants and workforce members receive emergency alerts or warnings? An alarm system within the building might work best if your commercial building is composed of large shops or warehouses. If your property is an office, then perhaps a phone tree to contact each department or office individually would work best.
• How will people receive updates? You will need to be able to communicate with your tenants so that they are updated concerning the state of your building. Your business will be discontinued so that the emergency can be handled, and they will want to know when it is safe and when they can exit shelters or re-enter the building and get back to work. Create a strategy where you can communicate with everyone in a timely and efficient way to prevent misinformation and confusion. Text messages could be the best course here, for example. 
• Is your evacuation plan safe for those with special needs? It is a requirement that any exit strategy is tailored to individuals with any special needs, and you will want to think about older people and those that are impaired visually or in their hearing. Designating areas to gather ahead of time for having volunteers in place that can manage and oversee these situations will be helpful. If your commercial business houses sensitive equipment or machinery that is designed to save lives, this will need to be taken into consideration when dealing with emergency evacuation, as well. 

SERVPRO of Hermitage/Donelson is here to help you in the event of any emergency or accident. We specialize in water and fire damage clean-ups no matter the size, and we are mold remediation experts, too. We can get your home or business Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.