With your expanding business suffering from growing pains, you have an impressive amount of demands to meet.
Suddenly your staff has grown and you need to tighten your policies and expand your space to accommodate the newcomers.
But, as most start-ups do, you’re learning as you go.
As you begin planning your move to a bigger building, your new location might be a larger responsibility than you realized, particularly if you started in a shared office space where the logistics were handled by a building management system.
But, whether you’re opening up shop in a larger area that is fully your responsibility or are constructing your own building to own and use, you need to know a few key facts – including how to be up to code with the specific fire laws on a federal and county level.
Is It Getting Hot in Here?
You might think that you don’t need an elaborate fire alarm system for your space, but you start to do a little research, just in case. You’re then met with over 300 consensus codes from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and wading through all of the legal jargon solo is a fresh struggle.
With fire laws nationally mandated but locally enforced; narrowing down what rules should apply to your building or what you are personally responsible for insuring is frustrating.
You’re ready to throw in the towel completely and hope a few fire extinguishers will cover it.
However, procrastination or under-equipping your office is not the best plan. Not only can improper maintenance incur a hefty fine, it can lead to a significant increase in your monthly insurance costs.
On top of these financial struggles, you could suffer severe property loss and be subject to several lawsuits from your employees if there is an emergency and you have no system in place.
The Benefits to Keeping Cool
Rather than try to fight the fires of confusion on your own, there are companies that specialize in business operations and can help clarify your situation.
A well-qualified technician from such a group can not only help you understand what systems work best for your building, but also install the proper hardware to keep you up to code.
With the installation of this fire alarm system, you should see some amazing difference in your insurance coverage. Insurance companies are more likely to cover your property and people when such systems are put in place, giving you a lower premium and more money to dedicate to important things, like your clients.
Don’t Fan the Flames
However, just the proper equipment isn’t enough to keep the law satisfied. It is a NFPA requirement to have your fire alarm system checked out annually to ensure that it is in proper working order, for the safety of your staff and property.
The company that installed your system should be able to provide theses annual fire alarm inspections.
With the combination of the proper equipment and regular maintenance, you can feel confident that your employees will be safe and your budget won’t break cleaning up after an unexpected disaster.
