Fire safety is extremely important for any business, and one element of a comprehensive plan is to have a clearly outlined evacuation strategy. Different evacuation techniques, however, may be better suited for certain companies depending on various factors. Here are four examples of such plans that fit well into a commercial fire protection policy.

Strategies for Fire Evacuations

1. Vertical Phased Evacuation

If a business is housed in a larger building with an intricate layout and many floors, a vertical phased evacuation should be added to the overall commercial fire protection plan. Using a staggered alarm system, employees closest to the fire exit the building first. Then, the alarm system continues to progressively evacuate employees in a similar manner if necessary. This plan should be accompanied by other fire-control methods such as sprinkler systems and fire doors.

2. Defend-in-Place

If, for whatever reason, it’s very difficult to remove people from a building quickly, a defend-in-place method may be a good approach to fire evacuation. In this commercial fire protection plan, all employees stay in their places while firefighters try to suppress or eliminate the fire. Occupants leave the building only if necessary. This is appropriate for buildings such as hospitals or other care facilities in which people might be better served staying near medical equipment rather than evacuating as soon as possible.

3. Staff Alarm Evacuation

If a business has a lot of customer foot traffic, sounding the fire alarm can potentially start a panic that causes more harm than good. Instead, the staff should be notified of the situation first, so they can prepare as much as possible for the larger-scale evacuation to come. Once the staff has been prepped, an announcement can be made to notify the customers.

4. Simultaneous Evacuation

There’s a good chance most people have participated in a simultaneous evacuation at least once already. Most commonly put into place by schools and averaged-sized business, this commercial fire protection plan involves everyone exiting a building right away after being alerted by a single alarm.

GMW Fire Protection has been the number-one destination for commercial fire protection services in the Anchorage, AK, area for more than 15 years. With a talented team of experienced technicians and a variety of fire safety products including sprinkler systems and alarms, the company takes pride in helping keep both families and businesses safe. For more information, call (907) 336-5000 or visit the website today.