A number of hazards may threaten a public building or the lives of the occupants. Near major fault lines such as the San Andreas Fault, an earthquake may rattle a building and even cause it to collapse. Meanwhile, in other parts of the United States, hurricanes or tornadoes might damage buildings and blast through windows, and windblown debris can be a serious hazard. However, any building today may be susceptible to a fire, and every year, fires cause a lot of property damage and harm to human life across the United States. For this reason, the occupants of public buildings are urged to be careful and sensible with fire hazards, and fire codes and regulations are in place in most cities and states. This includes fire alarm repairs, fire alarm services, fire alarm installation, and more. Fire alarm services can go a long way toward protecting life and helping people evacuate a building such as an office, a bank, a school, or a shopping mall. What is there to know from property damage from fires, and how fire alarm services can be called upon?

The Damage

There are plenty of statistics being gathered to keep track of where and how often fires start in public and commercial buildings, and what kind of harm these blazes can do. Overall, it has been determined that hospitals, apartments, hotels, offices, and healthcare facilities tend to catch fire the most often, and the owners of such buildings will have particular need for fire protection services like alarms. Hotel and motel fires in particular cause about 15 fatalities and 150 injuries per year, and similar numbers might be found for apartments or offices. In hospitals, fires might often be cause when electrical malfunctions start an electric fire, and this hazard is made worse when flammable materials such as bed covers or drapes are nearby. The good news in all this is that warehouse fires are on the decline. Back in 1980, nearly 4,700 warehouse fires took place, which caused a massive loss of property. By 2011, however, that figure had dropped to just 1,200. Overall, how can a warehouse manager or a hotel staff be better prepared to prevent these disasters?

Effective Fire Alarms

Fire alarm services are often the first line of defense against a fire in a commercial or public building, and this can save many lives per year. Property can be replaced, but a person who perishes in a fire is a tragic loss. For this reason, public buildings are expected to have strict and effective means for evacuating everyone inside and suppressing a fire when a flame starts spreading. City or state officials may even inspect a building’s anti-fire services to make sure that they are effective and up to date. A building with inadequate fire protection will be required to hire contractors to get better hardware installed, or fix existing systems. In other cases, a person may purchase an old public building for an enterprise. These buildings, too, must be looked over by professionals to ensure that the fire protection inside is adequate. Otherwise, the building may be unsafe and in violation of city fire ordinance.

Fire alarm services can be called upon, and contractors will repair existing fire alarms or install a new system. What might an effective fire alarm service look like? These alarms will be linked to smoke detectors and other sensors that can register an open fire, and the system will set off the alarm. Wall-mounted alarms will give off a loud and distinctive sound, and they should be arranged so that every occupant in a building, no matter where they are, can hear them. It could cost human life if a person cannot hear the alarms because none were close enough. And for the benefit of the deaf, these systems tend to have flashing lights on them during an alarm, so that everyone will know of the danger. When these alarms go off, everyone in a building will evacuate, and gather at a pre-determined location outside. This is important, so everyone can be accounted for. This way, it will be clear if someone is still inside the burning building. Coordination and cooperation are key during a fire to keep everyone safe.