According to the National Safety Council of Australia, the following alarming facts about fire protection are true in businesses around the country:

  • less than 25% of staff members can remember where a fire extinguisher is located in their workplace
  • only 26% of Australians are trained in first aid
  • less than 50% of a building’s occupants know what to do in an emergency

Furthermore, Fire & Safety Australia reported that

  • less than 50% of building occupants feel confident in how to operate a fire extinguisher
  • over 50% of people who operate a fire extinguisher use it incorrectly or dangerously
  • 13% of people know the different types of fire extinguishers and what class of fire to use them for

If you feel like fire protection and awareness are lacking in your business, you should invest in our fire protection services as well as training for your employees. We have a number of resources available on our website if you’d like to know more about the operation of fire protection equipment. Check out the following articles:

At Jim’s Fire Safety, our technicians have a certificate II in fire protection inspection and testing from FPA (fire protection association) Australia. FPA Australia is the nation’s number one provider of technical and educational fire safety resources. We are members of the FPA Australia, along with other manufacturers and suppliers of fire inspection services, firefighters, educators, building owners, and more. If you’d like to find more resources about training your team members, the FPA Australia website is a great place to start looking.

Make a Fire Safety Plan

In the unfortunate event of a fire in your business, you need to make sure you have a clear evacuation strategy in place. You also need to make sure your staff are aware of this plan and can help visitors to the property navigate to an exit during a fire.

Firstly, you should nominate a fire warden. Choose a team member that wants the role and has proven that they are clear and calm in an emergency. Make sure your fire warden is trained and knows all the locations of your fire protection devices.

After that, you need to work in conjunction with your warden to create an evacuation plan. Nominate a gathering point that is a safe distance away from the building and free from combustable materials. Choose a second muster point in case the first point is compromised during an emergency.

Make sure your staff know the exit routes and ensure that your emergency and exit lighting systems are maintained.

The key to an effective evacuation plan is the ability to keep your team members calm during an emergency. If you conduct routine drills, your staff will be able to easily identify a course of action if an emergency situation does occur.

Contact Jim’s Fire Safety Today

At Jim’s Fire Safety, we care about fire protection and awareness in our local communities. Our aim is to reduce harm and help businesses prepare for an emergency. If you own or operate a business, please get in touch with us now for fire equipment maintenance services. You need to make sure that your equipment works.