Holiday Fire Safety Tips for Apartment Buildings

More home cooking fires happen on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year (followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve), according to the National Fire Protection Association. If you own an apartment complex, you’ll want to make sure that your building always meets fire safety code, especially during the holidays.

In this blog post, the fire protection contractors at Fire Pros explain what you can do to prevent home fires during the holidays and year-round. For more information, we recommend reaching out to a contractor near you that offers fire protection systems and services.

Maintain Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are your tenants’ first line of defense when a fire breaks out. For this reason, you’ll need to make sure that fire extinguishers are easily accessible, charged, and ready to go. The National Fire Protection Association requires monthly fire extinguisher inspections.

Keeping up on fire extinguisher maintenance will ensure that they work properly during an emergency. A fire safety contractor will inspect your fire extinguishers to make sure they comply with standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, state and local codes, and your insurance.

You may need to replace, repair, or recharge your fire extinguishers depending on their condition. A contractor can help you with all of this so that your fire extinguishers will be ready if a tenant accidentally burns their turkey dinner this holiday season.

Inspect Fire Sprinklers

Fire sprinklers activate when they detect high air temperatures indicative of a fire. If a fire does break out this holiday season, the fire sprinkler system in the room will activate to put out the fire before it has a chance to spread to the rest of the apartment or other units. Just like the rest of your fire protection products, you’ll need to make sure your fire sprinkler system is inspected and gets the maintenance it needs.

Test Fire Alarm Systems

Fire alarm systems alert residents that there is a fire so they have enough time to safely exit the building. A responsive fire alarm also means that the fire department will respond quicker to the fire, minimizing property damage. A contractor will be able to test the sensitivity of your fire alarm system to make sure it is working properly.

Distribute Fliers about Holiday Fire Safety to Tenants

Make sure your tenants know about how to stay safe this holiday season by distributing fliers about holiday fire safety. Depending on your company’s communication strategy, you may decide to mail or email fliers, tape them to front doors, or have copies available in your leasing office.

The following are some holiday fire safety tips your tenants should know:

• Don’t leave candles unattended.
• Place candles a safe distance away from decorations.
• Don’t leave food unattended on the stove.
• Keep decorations away from stoves and other cooking equipment.
• Keep natural Christmas trees well watered.
• Have a fire escape plan and share it with your family.

Fire Pros is a fire protection company dedicated to helping you maintain the fire safety of your apartment buildings and other commercial real estate this holiday season. If you are interested in any of our fire protection products and services, give us a call at 800-968-2871.