Types of Fire Damage and What to Expect From That Damage

Any type of fire damage on a property is a devastating event, but when it affects a business’ bottom line it can be a particularly catastrophic experience.  For commercial property owners or managers, fire prevention and employee safety are undoubtedly chief concerns.

By knowing the most common types of fire within commercial properties, as well as the primary and secondary damage that can be incurred by them, businesses can ensure all the necessary steps are taken to get operations back to normal as quickly as possible.

Cooking Fires

Cooking equipment malfunctions, as well as unintended accidents in kitchens, break-rooms, and other areas where employees prepare meals, pose major risks to all types of businesses, not just those that cook food professionally.  Food items left unattended while being prepared, as well other human errors in handling, installing, or operating cooking devices can have incredibly destructive consequences.

While kitchens are at a high-risk for an accidental blaze, there are some easy steps that business owners can take to make sure these areas are protected.  Sprinklers, alarms, and easily accessible fire extinguishers are crucial first steps, but employee safety training is just as important.  Both by implementing protocols and safety procedures in food prep areas and by devising an employee fire evacuation plan, business owners can stave off damage caused by kitchen accidents.

Electrical Wiring Fires

Electrical wiring that hasn’t been regularly maintained, is improperly wired, degraded, or just plain defective can be a major building vulnerability.  Making sure that all wiring and electrical components are operational, kept up to code, adequately serviced, and suitable for the needs of the facility are essential steps in deterring a fire.

Heating Unit Fires

Heaters, boilers, and furnaces all carry their own distinct risks if not properly installed, kept up to code, or regularly cleaned.  Jurisdictions have regulations in place to ensure heating units are properly maintained, yet there is still a distinct danger, even if all procedures are followed.  Proper servicing and maintenance to all heating systems are crucial components in a business owner’s fire prevention arsenal.

Smoking Fires

Bien que le tabagisme en intérieur soit désormais relativement obsolète dans la plupart des régions d'Amérique du Nord, l'élimination inappropriée des cigarettes et les dommages causés par la fumée de cigarette restent une source occasionnelle de préoccupation.  Si l'on fume sur la propriété d'un établissement, la désignation de zones fumeurs suffisamment éloignées de tout matériau combustible et la mise à disposition des fumeurs de récipients clairement identifiés pour éteindre les cigarettes sont des moyens simples d'éviter d'avoir à effectuer de coûteuses réparations des dommages causés par la fumée de cigarette.

Intentionally Set Fires

Other accidentally started fires in the workplace have significant risk-factors, as, unfortunately, do arson and intentionally started fires.  Monitoring systems and fire suppression units are strong deterrents in stopping maliciously caused fire, as are regular cleaning and removal of flammable materials from facility grounds.

Wildfires

While the general danger of fire concerns everyone equally, properties in certain geographic regions face different threats than others.  Wildfires in the western United States and other low humidity, low moisture regions pose a significant hazard to commercial properties.

Lorsqu'une installation se trouve dans une zone susceptible d'être touchée par un incendie de forêt ou par la fumée d'un feu de forêt, la meilleure façon de réduire l'exposition est de s'y préparer.  L'entretien des systèmes de chauffage, de ventilation et de climatisation, l'élimination des débris dans les propriétés et la compréhension générale des risques et des types de menaces dans la région peuvent contribuer à éviter des événements coûteux et difficiles à surmonter.