According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), structural fires occur at the rate of one every 63 seconds.1 Although these happen most often in homes, fires in commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings cause millions of dollars in damage each year. National Fire Prevention Month took place last month in October, but it’s always a good time to review fire safety measures. It’s also a timely opportunity to consider upgrading to newer, “smarter” products that can better prepare facilities for unforeseen risks. Follow this three-step fire safety checklist from The Home Depot to better protect your facilities and occupants year-round.
Buy in bulk. Hot work, that which involves welding or cutting torches, soldering equipment, and heat-treating equipment, is a leading cause of fire in industrial buildings. In commercial and institutional buildings, most fires are caused by cooking, electrical systems, and smoking materials. Early warnings are essential in evacuating everyone swiftly and safely, while still having the ability to call for emergency response in time.
Smoke alarms can help save lives, and new technologies make these easy to install and use. As an exampe, the Kidde Worry Free 10-Year Sealed Battery Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Combination Detector with Voice Alarm, features a voice alert that announces “Fire” or “Carbon Monoxide” if that hazard is detected. With wireless interconnectivity, if one unit is triggered, all interconnected alarms will sound off. As part of Pro Xtra, The Home Depot’s loyalty program, facility managers can obtain bulk pricing of high-tech alarms (and 4,000 additional products).
Ship to site. With The Home Depot’s free same-day delivery option for Pros, facility managers can prepare for an emergency without ever leaving their sites. This way, facilities stafe can concentrate on running the business, and not running to the store to upgrade equipment.
Knowing that accurate product is available and in-store is one insight Pro Xtra members have access to on a daily basis. Have multiple projects you’re working on at once? The Home Depot will manage up to two years of purchasing history. And with the ability to export all records to Microsoft Excel, you can track and sort purchases by date, job, location, or PO.
Ask a Pro. The Home Depot’s Pro associates can provide expert advice on smoke alarms and other fire prevention technologies and products that are right for your building to help reduce the risk of property damage from fire.
Pro Xtra members also have access to The Home Depot mobile app, which provides a voice, image and barcode search feature — providing additional information on certain products with tips and frequently asked questions. This helps to gather information without leaving the facility.
