Smoke detectors act as your first line of defence in identifying a fire, which is why they play such an important role in fire safety within the workplace, as well as your home.
Having a working smoke detector in your premises can significantly decrease the chances of death in a fire and smoke inhalation. However, simply having smoke detectors installed is just part of an effective fire safety and risk assessment. Ifast offer fire safety training courses that cover all aspects of fire safety awareness.
Depending on the nature of your business, number of employees and size of premises, will determine the number of detectors you need and where they should be positioned. However, useful advice on the different levels of fire safety assessment relating to your business type can be found on the Government website.
There is the choice of a mains connected smoke detector systems or battery operated ones, which are more commonly used in homes. However, in both instances, it’s important to regularly test that they’re working and replace batteries if they have run out. Testing should be carried out weekly, to ensure that fire safety is adhered to and that they are functioning properly. If you’re in any doubt that a detector is faulty it should be replaced or professionally repaired immediately.
The overriding benefit of regularly testing and replacing faulty smoke detectors is peace of mind that you and your business employees are best equipped for early detection of a fire. As smoke detectors are designed to alert people that there is smoke in the building, it will mean that evacuation can occur faster to ensure people’s safety, as well as a quicker response to putting the fire out, whether that’s by a designated fire officer or the fire services.
If you fail to test your smoke detectors it could cost valuable time in treating the fire and evacuating the premises, which is vital to saving lives. This is where the importance of fire safety training courses plays a vital role. Ensuring that you and your staff have the right knowledge and skills that can be obtained on a fire safety awareness course, to deal with fire risk assessments and maintenance of smoke detectors could mean the difference between lives saved or lives lost.