The Official RJWestmore Blog

Only You Can Prevent Office Fires

According to data from the National Fire Protection Agency, there were 112,000 non-residential structure fires in 2008 which resulted in 120 deaths and $3.8 billion in property damages.  High-rise buildings are especially at risk as fires can spread rapidly and higher floors are often out of reach of most firefighting aerial equipment.

Building owners should work closely with tenants and discuss potential fire hazards to prevent loss of property or life. Tenants should understand the potential losses of sensitive data or documents that can be destroyed so they should be more apt to listen.

Reducing the incidence of fire in buildings can be accomplished by identifying contributing factors and minimizing risks. Come to think of it, that’s the way to handle any type of risk!

Space heaters:

• Often kept in enclosed spaces near papers, space heaters can lead to fast-moving fires
• Space heaters use a high amount of electricity and multiple users can increase utility bills
• Older space heaters don’t have auto shutoff safety can start fires if tipped over

Office Equipment and Appliances:

• Coffee makers, copiers and computers all need space around them for air circulation
• Papers should not be stacked on or around equipment
• Restrict use of hotplates and other portable heating items

Wiring and Power:

• Older wiring that is mixed with newer wiring can lead to sparking which can turn into fire
• Buildings that do not keep current with electrical code standards are at risk
• Overuse of extension cords and power strips has greatly expanded as offices have more and more electronic devices. Overloaded circuits or power cords routed under combustible carpets can both be fire risks

Combustible materials:

• Modern offices typically have many combustible materials such as file folders, wooden partitions, upholstered furniture, carpeted floors, and wooden doors
• Combustibles can be decreased by choosing metal furniture, installing fire-rated doors, and moving towards paperless record keeping

Smoking:

Don’t forget about cigarettes and cigars! A leading cause of fires is recreational smoking. Even when buildings restrict smoking inside buildings, some tenants may fail to comply. The best way to combat this is to enforce strict no-smoking policies and provide safe alternative outdoor smoking areas. Outside ash containers should be heavy so they don’t tip over. And care should be taken to ensure safe disposal of ash and cigarette butts.

Fire risks can be greatly decreased by establishing and enforcing set policies for all of your tenants. The RJ Westmore Training System can help you mitigate these and other safety risks. Visit www.rjwestmore.com and ask us about the recently released Version 2.0 of our award-winning training program. Choosing our service cuts property management training related workloads by 90% and saves you over 50% compared to conventional training!

Most importantly, IT SAVES LIVES!

Thousands of lives and both of the Twin Towers were lost on the now infamous day of September 11, 2001. The disaster gave Americans an uninvited lesson about the necessity of developing a comprehensive high-rise evacuation plan. It also shed light on the fact that, to be effective, disaster preparedness plans have to be taught to the people most likely to need them…all of the occupants in a building.

Fire Life Safety

One of the unavoidable risks of working or living in a high-rise building is fire. According to NFPA, the National Fire Protection Association, the following factors are unique to training for fire safety in high-rise buildings.

• The multiple floors of a high-rise building create the cumulative effect of requiring great numbers of persons to travel great vertical distances on stairs in order to evacuate the building.
• The physical demands of evacuation made on occupants often exceed the capabilities of many.
• The process of evacuating some of the largest high-rise buildings in the world may take upwards of two hours.
• The fire and life safety systems installed in high-rise buildings today, including automatic fire sprinkler protection, are designed to control a fire and therefore lessen the need to totally evacuate all occupants.
• Typically, the fire floor and the floors immediately above and below the fire will be evacuated. (Depending on the city where you live, there could be as many as five to seven floors within the building.)

Also according to NFPA, the key elements of emergency preparedness include:

• Early warning (typically through an alarm or voice communication system)
• Adequate means of egress (exit routes)
• Occupant familiarity with the plan through knowledge and practice.

The RJWestmore Training System provides unlimited access to building-specific, web-based emergency preparedness education to the folks who need it most. Using an educational, entertaining and user-friendly format, the system has been approved by all of the major fired departments across the United States. It was most recently recognized and approved by the Los Angeles Fire Department as one of the first approved online training systems to comply with the newly implemented LAMC 57.33.19 high-rise fire code. Simply stated, the system saves lives.

As a volunteer member of the National Fire Protection Association Education Section, RJWestmore is helping spread the word about the importance of home fire sprinklers.

Using only a fraction of the water used by fire department hoses, home fire sprinklers save lives, reduce property loss and help cut insurance premiums. In addition, 90% of fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler.

Fire sprinklers are economical, reliable and proven to be the best way to protect your family and home from the dangers of fire.

That should be comforting news for you and your family when you consider that 4,000 people die in fires each year – 80% of them in home fires.

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We talk a lot about fire safety – because, well, it’s our passion. But as important as fire safety is, it’s equally important to remember that it doesn’t start and end with adults. Children should practice fire safety, too.

That’s why we’ve compiled a few good resources on teaching kids about fire safety.

The first is FireSafety.gov, which has lots of great activities, including crossword puzzles, coloring pages, a matching game, and a fire safety quiz that offers an official junior fire marshal certificate upon completion. Just for fun, we’ve tested out all of these activities and they’re well worth the visit to the site. In addition, the site’s animated moderators, Marty and Jett, guide kids through the lessons, enhancing the experience even more.

From the National Fire Protection Association comes Sparky.org – with everyone’s friend, Sparky the Fire Dog. Kids can learn all they need to know about fire safety through activities like “Fun with Fire Trucks,” “Ask Sparky,” “Sparky’s Arcade,” and “Hot Diggity Dalmatians.” When they’re finished having fun while learning, children can send e-cards to friends and family for special occasions.

PBS KIDS Sprout – at SproutOnline.com – reminds kids to “Practice Fire Safety Every Day.” Fireman Sam and friends have plenty of ways to teach the importance of fire safety with the “Hot & Cold Game,” make-your-own fire safety badges, video safety tips, and more.

Parents – you never know when fire will strike. And we at RJWestmore hope it never does. But the reality is, it could happen to you and your family. So, please, prepare your children by practicing fire safety. It can be educational and fun when you use the resources provided here.

Good luck, and BE SAFE!

In light of recent wildfires that have devastated some California communities, the National Fire Protection Association has issued the following tips on how to protect your family and your home:

• If you’re moving to a new home in a rural area or buying land to build a new home, do a thorough outdoor fire safety check before you proceed. Locate the home on the lot with adequate setback from downhill slopes. Wildland fire travels uphill rapidly – make sure that your home won’t be in its path.
• Make sure that the area has adequate public fire protection available. Will emergency vehicles have easy access to the house? Is you address clearly visible from the road. Will firefighters have access to a water supply to put out a fire?
• Make your roof fire-safe. Untreated-wood shake roofs are the leading cause of wildland fire losses. A roof made of fire-resistant or noncombustible materials can make your home safer. Also, use non-combustible (metal) screening in eave vents and for windows.
• Sweep gutters, roofs and eaves regularly and remove dead branches from around or near chimneys. Burning firebrands or embers can collect in the same space that leaves and pine needles do. Remove leaves and needles from cellar window walls and from corners and crevices around the outside of your home.
• Create a survivable space, safety zone or “fire break” around your home. Flammable (highly resinous) plants, woodpiles and debris should be kept as far away as possible from the exterior walls of the home. Fences, decks or outbuildings connected to the house must be considered part of the house; construct them out of non-combustible materials and keep them clear of pine needles, dried leaves, etc.

For even more safety tips, visit the Firewise Communities Web site.

The U.S. Fire Administration has compiled the following statistics for 2007. The verdict? Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined. The stats below illustrate the supreme importance of fire safety training and education.

The Overall Fire Picture for 2007:

• There were 3,430 civilians who lost their lives as the result of fire.
• There were 17,675 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of fire.
• There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
• 84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
• There were an estimated 1.6 million fires in 2007.
• Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $14.6 billion.
• An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in 295 civilian deaths.
• Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $733 million in property damage.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. 2007 and USFA’s Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2007.