§ Are employees trained in fire safety?
o Do they know
exactly what to do if a fire starts?
o Is extra training
given to those responsible for storage areas, housekeeping, maintenance and
operations where there are open flames
or flammable substances are used or stored?
§ Do you have the right type, size
and number of fire extinguishers?
Your fire department or fire protection equipment supplier can best advise you.
§ Are the fire
extinguishers serviced and tagged
annually?
o
Do you review with employees at least once a year where
the fire extinguishers are and how
to use them?
§ If needed, have
you modernized your electrical system? Faulty wiring causes a large percentage of nonresidential fires.
o
Are electrical panels accessible, with at least three feet
of clearance and labeled? Except
for temporary use (or surge protection for sensitive electronics such as
computers) electrical equipment should be plugged directly into an outlet,
rather than into extension cords.
§ Do you regularly check your heating system?
§ Does your
building have a fire alarm system connected to the local fire department or an alarm company?
§ Have smoke
detectors been installed, and are they
regularly tested?
§ Does your
building have a sprinkler system to
douse fires?
o If so, is it
serviced, including a main drain
test, at least annually?
o Is your sprinkler
system the right one for your kind
of building and the materials used in your business? Different types of
buildings and contents require different types of fire suppression systems.
Your insurance carrier, alarm company or local fire department can assist you
in choosing the most appropriate type of system.
§ Have you posted "No Smoking" signs?
o
Do you enforce the rule?
o Is there evidence of smoking?
And while I have you thinking about fire safety, think about your business interruption coverage too. Fire is one of the costliest perils that affect businesses. And while business interruption insurance is often a part of the overall property insurance coverage for a commercial property, you want to ensure that you are covered for many of the costs of shutting down your business and restoring operations—in addition to the separate coverage for direct property losses provided in your standard fire insurance policy.
Unsure as to all that your policy covers? Give us a call at 508-347-9343 and we’ll review your policy with you. Remember, the best insurance is prevention.
(Source: Insurance Information Institute www.iii.org)
