Fire Protection vs. Fire Prevention

Anyone who owns or manages a home, business, residential property, or other facility in New Jersey or Delaware shares one goal: keeping those properties and the residents, customers, or employees in them safe and protected from fires. While some may believe that fire protection methods outshine fire prevention tactics in accomplishing that goal, the fact is that both methods work best when employed together.

Fire Protection

As part of any protective measure for any residence or business, most people set up advance safety procedures to defend their properties in case a fire breaks out. The foremost fire protection measure usually includes making sure the property is armed with enough equipment to combat a fire. Here are several fire protection tips you can apply to your own properties.

Heat Detectors and Fire/Smoke Alarms

The first step in fire protection is ensuring that all building occupants are safe, which is why these alarms and heat detectors are the first line of defense in any fire protection system. Make sure your building is equipped with enough fire alarms and heat detectors to provide early fire detection and warnings.

Fire Extinguishers

Place several fire extinguishers in easily accessible locations throughout your home or business and train family members or personnel in their use. A fast response to a small fire can often prevent the development of a dangerous, devastating blaze.

Additional Systems

Another step is to provide further protection to stop a fire from spreading in order to halt or limit serious damage to property, equipment, merchandise or personal belongings.  These systems often include additional components in addition to hand-held fire extinguishers.

Automatic sprinklers are effective, reliable elements of fire protection in homes and businesses. They work well to control flames before the fire department arrives.

Automatic commercial kitchen fire suppression systems work successfully to control or extinguish high-temperature grease fires.

Fire Prevention

Fire prevention is about stopping a fire from happening in the first place. Everyone should be alert to anything that could cause a fire. Here are a few vital fire prevention tips for home and business owners.

Perform a Complete Property Inspection

Being able to identify areas of your home or business that may be more vulnerable to potential fires will help you make the necessary fire prevention improvements.

Learn and Share Fire Prevention Steps

Make family members and employees aware that fire prevention should be taken seriously by discouraging bad habits or practices that might increase the risk of fires.

• Dirty wood-burning fireplaces
• Unattended burning candles
• Overloaded electric outlets
• Not unplugging small appliances (hairdryers/curling irons)
• Smoking inside/leaving cigarettes unattended

Fire Protection in New Jersey & Delaware

By increasing knowledge about these and additional hazards in the home and workplace, you can help reduce mistakes and lessen the chance of fire. Always follow guidelines for inspecting, testing and maintaining any fire protection equipment. Neglect or forgetfulness can leave you empty-handed when you most need a fire extinguisher, smoke detector or sprinkler system. Want to learn more? Contact the team at Confires by filling out an online form or by calling 888-228-0917.