Steps to take to be fire-safe.

Part 2 in a Series

Since a fire department in the United States responds to a report of fire every 19 seconds, fire is an ever-present danger at work, home or even when you are traveling. Fire is also one of the most common emergencies following an earthquake, explosion, terrorist attack, power surge or other natural or manmade disaster.

Since you never know when fire will strike, you should be careful to prepare so you will immediately know what to do in case of emergency. In this series, we hope to educate you in an effort to help you and your tenants prepare for fire. Today’s post will discuss the ways that you, as a building owner or property manager, can mitigate the risk of fire by making sound choices for building materials and furnishings and by educating tenants about taking responsibility for their own safety.

Making sound choices for building materials

If your property is still under construction, install fire-safe materials wherever possible.

David Horne, a member of the Fire Safe Council (FSC), admits that it’s impossible to take the risk of a fire down to zero unless you live in a bunker.

But he says, “Builders can make their (projects) between 20 percent and 70 percent less likely to burn from the outside by choosing fire-resistant materials and veering from traditional designs.”

Here are some fire-safe installation ideas from the FSC:

• Install stucco, fiber cement, and other noncombustible cladding materials
• Build eaves and roof decks that are boxed in and never made from wood.
• Omit windows from exterior walls that sit close together.
• Add an extra layer of gypsum or another fire-resistant material beneath the siding on facing walls
• Install double- or triple-pane windows to keep intense heat from breaking the windows
• Choose noncombustible materials for fences

Making Sound Fire-Safe Choices for Furnishings

Even if your property has already been built, you can take steps to lessen the risk of home, apartment or office fire.

Upholstered furniture, wall coverings, flooring and mattresses burn quickly and produce large amounts of toxic smoke. Burning upholstered furnishings or mattresses contribute to nearly every home fire death. Understanding the hazards associated with these furnishings will help you choose fire-safe products.

Whenever possible, select upholstered furniture that has been treated with fire retardant. Some professional organizations and the state of California have developed manufacturing standards to increase the fire resistance of certain types of furniture. For a complete list of these guidelines, check out the technical bulletins released by the California Department of Consumer Affairs/Bureau of Home Furnishing and Thermal Insulation.

Educating Tenants about Fire Safety

In a perfect world, everyone would know how to prepare for disaster and would take the necessary steps to mitigate risks. Sadly, we live in an imperfect world. So don’t assume that your tenants know how to proactively prevent fires or prepare for emergencies. Although you are not obligated to do so, it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to provide helpful, straight-forward guidelines for them to follow, so in the event of emergency, they are without excuse.

Print these helpful tips for distribution,  for information about fire safety at home, tips for basic home fire safety and fire safety at work.  The headline for each of these fact sheets notes that the responsibility for fire safety and disaster preparedness rests squarely on the shoulders of each individual. Additional reference materials are also available through FEMA and the National Fire Protection Association.  Whichever fire safety guidelines you prefer, post them in a central location.

Next week, we’ll look at the ways that you can mitigate the risk of fire by adopting best practices for storing flammable materials. When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for property owners and managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

Important lessons can be learned from the disaster in Haiti

The recent earthquake disaster in Haiti will require extensive rebuilding of the country’s emergency response systems and infrastructure. Unfortunately, as a poor nation, many Haitians did not have the proper resources to ensure emergency preparedness. The only positive result of the disaster is that it will give the country the opportunity to focus on ways to ensure quicker, more comprehensive response time for future disasters.

But the application doesn’t stop in Haiti. Some of the hard-learned lessons can be applied to emergency planning for your buildings. These include the importance of following code standards, maintaining the infrastructure of the building, and making sure that communications procedures are established and followed. Disasters can and will happen, and proper preparation can minimize losses and quicken the pace of rebuilding.

Several aspects of emergency management will need to be rebuilt in Haiti:

Earthquake Codes:

• Focus will be on implementing new building codes
• Some studies focus on minimizing population densities and overcrowding
• Authorities and aid organizations will need to provide assistance to lower income families that cannot afford to meet code regulations to prevent the building of unregulated and unsafe structures
• Scientists say that future earthquakes are likely and Haiti should be prepared
• New codes are especially important for multi-story buildings such as offices or hotels
• Many homes in Haiti were built in stages which led to inconsistent foundation standards

Emergency Planning:

• Seismologists warned of the threat of a potential earthquake, but most warnings went unheeded
• Proper planning includes distribution of emergency kits to residents, designated relief zones, and equipment for the clearing of debris from roads

Infrastructure Needs:

• Prior to the disaster, Haiti’s airport, ports and road systems were in need of repair
• Strengthening infrastructure allows for faster emergency response
• Bringing water and sanitation up to modern standards will aid the distribution of emergency supplies and information

Communications:

• Secure communications are a key to coordinating relief in time of a disaster
• Telephone and Internet systems need to be improved
• Communication systems allow individuals to quickly get needed information in terms of where food or medical relief can be located, or where to find temporary shelters

We encourage all of our readers to donate for Haiti Relief by visiting the American Red Cross. Visit www.RJWestmore.com for information about our emergency training program. BE SAFE.

We’ve got a full calendar at RJ Westmore, Inc. One event we’re looking forward to is the Great California ShakeOut at 10:15 a.m. on October 15, 2009, when we’ll join millions of Californians to participate in the largest earthquake drill ever!

Drop, Cover and Hold On!

Now an annual event, the ShakeOut will incorporate numerous exercises and drills designed to prepare adults and children to react quickly in the rather likely event of a California quake. In much the same way kids across America have been taught to Stop, Drop and Roll in case of fire, this exercise will give us all the opportunity to practice how to Drop, Cover and Hold On.

Practice Makes Perfect

At RJWestmore, Inc., we specialize in fire life safety and disaster preparedness training and education, so we can testify to the fact that behavior has to be learned and then drilled often in order to become automatic. If an earthquake hits, you may only have seconds to protect yourself before strong shaking knocks you down, or causes something to fall onto you. So, don’t wait until an earthquake hits to figure out how you’re going to react.

How to Deal

We are proud to join thousands of emergency organizations, emergency responders, and Search and Rescue organizations in support of Drop, Cover, and Hold On education. If you wonder whether you are adequately prepared to deal with an earthquake, take this free interactive quiz, which was prepared by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.

Now is the perfect time to make sure you’re prepared, as September is National Preparedness Month. So check back often to learn about how to update your disaster plans and restock your disaster supplies kits.

And, in the meantime, BE SAFE.

]]> http://rjwestmore.com/2009/08/79/feed/ 0 http://rjwestmore.com/2009/02/59/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tsunami-preparedness http://rjwestmore.com/2009/02/59/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:00:30 +0000 mikey http://rjwestmore.com/?p=59 While fires and earthquakes are common occurrences in America, tsunamis are not. But that doesn’t mean we’re without risk.

Like the unexpected tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia in 2004, the coastal United States could experience a tsunami in the future.

To keep you prepared for disasters of all kinds, RJWestmore has compiled the following information aimed at helping you stay informed about issues of life safety.

When an earthquake has occurred in the Pacific Basin, a tsunami may be generated. In this case, the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center will issue hourly bulletins advising of the situation. However, in the event of a tsunami, it’s in your best interest to be familiar with the warning signs:

•    A strong earthquake may generate a tsunami. Seismic activity is often the only warning sign before a tsunami.

•    A noticeable rapid fall or rise in coastal waters is also a sign that a tsunami is approaching.

•    Tsunamis most frequently come on shore as a rapidly rising turbulent surge of water choked with debris.

•    Tsunamis may be locally generated or from a distant source. You may not feel the earthquake.

If a tsunami has been generated and a TSUNAMI WATCH issued, the tsunami is at least two hours away from impacting the area in watch status. Still, preparation for the event should begin immediately.

•    Notify all employees and visitors within the facility via public address system, intercom, person-to-person, etc., to prepare to evacuate inland (to higher ground) to designated tsunami safe refuge evacuation areas.

•    Monitor NOAA weather radio/commercial radio or TV for information.

•    Gather your disaster supplies and be ready to evacuate.

•    Secure office in anticipation of evacuation and tsunami flooding effects.

•    Prepare to evacuate using designated evacuation routes.

In the event of a TSUNAMI WARNING, individuals in the warned area are advised to react immediately. If you are in a tsunami risk area, do the following:

•    Evacuate at once. A tsunami warning is issued when authorities are certain that a tsunami threat exists, and there may be little time to get out.

•    Take your disaster supplies kit. Having supplies will make you more comfortable during the evacuation.

•    Get to higher ground as far inland as possible. Officials cannot reliably predict either the height or local effects of tsunamis. Watching a tsunami from the beach or cliffs could put you in grave danger. If you can see the wave, you are too close to escape it.

After the tsunami:

•    Return only after local officials tell you it is safe. A tsunami is a series of waves that may continue for a few hours. Do not assume that after one wave, the danger is over. The next wave may be larger than the first one.

•    Stay out of buildings if water remains – the structure may be unsafe, and the water may be electrified or contaminated.

•    During reentry, use extreme caution and look for fire hazards like broken gas lines, flooded electrical circuits, etc. Fire is the most frequent hazard after floods.

For more information on tsunamis and to find out if you’re in a tsunami risk area, contact your local fire department.

That day, millions of people in homes, schools, businesses, government offices and public areas all over southern California participated in the event to prepare themselves for the inevitable – a magnitude 7.8 or higher earthquake along the San Andreas Fault that scientists expect will happen.

As part of RJWestmore’s mission to “Save Lives Through Training,” we’re including links to earthquake preparedness resources on our blog this week, including information on the ShakeOut; the Drop, Cover, and Hold On! procedure; the Golden Guardian 2008 Exercise Series, from Governor Schwarzenegger and his Office of Homeland Security; and a great educational video from Preparedness Now, which is available below.

If you’re in an earthquake-prone area, we hope this information is helpful. And, please, if you have other resources that can educate people on how to prepare for natural disasters – of any kind – please let us know in the comments section.

Training is one of the most important tools used to enhance employee performance. This is especially true in life-threatening situations like responding to a fire, earthquake, bomb threat, medical emergency or other natural or man-made disasters. Your ability to know what to do and react immediately with the correct response can save lives.

The key to successful training that has high rates of retention is to train staff broadly to understand goals and constraints of each emergency situation, rather than training narrowly to follow sets of procedures without thinking.

Bob Westmore is frequently quoted as saying, “Emergencies never read the plans written to address them.”  In other words, no two emergency situations are exactly alike. More intuitive training developed by RJWestmore and utilized on the RJWestmore Online Fire Life Safety Training System, increases retention rates by 60% to 200% while it teaches users to learn to recognize situations and adapt their responses as appropriate to achieve the safest outcome.

Proper response training is the only way to proactively prevent the loss of life in an emergency situation. We can help.

BE SAFE!