Fire departments are typically responsible for annual fire inspections to provide fire safety for multiple buildings and businesses. These procedures reveal the potential risks of a fire occurring and mention this possibility at the end of a report to solve. Still, the mechanism of fire prevention inspection may vary from state to state, depending on local legislation and city regulations. Today, we will discover what a fire inspection is, why it is so important, and determine the principal phases of a fireproofing inspection.
Definition of a fire safety inspection
The fire inspection is determined as a measure conducted by the fire department to evaluate the potential risk of a hazard in a building. The frequency and specifics of such fire inspections can differ in terms of building location or installation, relevant law of a state, local regulations, etc. An inspection is needed to reveal whether a building meets a list of standard principles of fire safety. It often includes the serviceability of fire prevention systems, water or fog sprinklers, smoke and fire detectors, alarm systems, emergence signs, the presence of an emergency exit, etc.
The primary phases of fire safety inspection
1. Identifying all the fire risks
When the inspection comes, an inspector will arrive at the building and begin to identify all the fire hazards inside. The inspectors have certain knowledge regarding fire safety, so they will search for heat, oxygen, and fuel sources to assess the possibility of ignition.
2. Identifying the risk of hazard for people
Once the general risk for a fire occurring was evaluated, officers will discover the possibility of fire hazards for occupants. This includes people in and near the building, not saying about more vulnerable persons, like people with disabilities or the elderly. Inspectors will focus on understanding the specifics of a property to evaluate the situation right.
3. Assessment of current precautions
The next step of officers is to discover whether the fire prevention and protection systems are effective. This involves smoke detectors, alert systems, emergence signage, the relevancy of escape routes, etc. Generally, an inspector will consider what type of fire safety measures you implement in a building and how often you check their serviceability.
4. Report of an inspection
Once an officer has visited your property and has recorded all the potential hazard risks and current fire safety measures, they will go away to write a report. It may include the observations from an inspection, recommendations for improving fire protection or prevention systems, advice to visit fire safety training courses for employees, and so on. Whether you don’t pass an inspection of fire safety inside a building, an officer will issue a penalty or even start criminal proceedings.
5. Review
The outcomes of an inspection will be given to the local fire and rescue authority to perform a review. Such reviews are typically done every quarter or year.
