What Does a Fire Safety Inspection Involve?

What Does a Fire Safety Inspection Involve?

When owning a property, it is important to maintain the building and focus on keeping the space in good working order. As part of the maintenance needs, your building needs to stay in line with fire safety codes. Every so often, a Chicago fire safety inspection will take place, with an inspector ensuring your building is safe and secure. But what happens during inspection? What can you expect? Learning more about the process can help you to be ready to pass and ensure your employees and customers will be safe in the event of a fire.

Accessing The Space

If a fire were to occur, the fire department would need to be able to locate your building after 911 has been called. The inspector will check the exterior of the building to ensure it is clear and the address is easily visible. During the Chicago safety check, you can lose points if your address is not clearly defined or if there are obstructions that will cause the fire department to be unable to reach your building.

The entrance of your building needs to be clearly marked and open so that assistance can be provided as needed. If hydrants are located beside your building, then it needs to remain clear so that the fire fighters can access it and use the water to put out the flames.

Inspecting Exit Doors and Pathways

During the safety check, the fire inspector will also be reviewing the interior of the building, checking for exit doors as well as pathways for departure. Anyone inside the building needs to have a clear path to get out in the event of a fire. The exits will be heavily reviewed to ensure safety.

Exit doors need to be unlocked at all times so that anyone inside can easily leave. If there are stairs or pathways that lead to exits, they must remain clear as well. Any debris such as furniture or construction materials will cause you to be marked off due to the inability for anyone to move forward to leave the premises.

Emergency lights inside the building must also be working. Some lights have a flashing capability and even sound to alert individuals inside on where to go during an emergency. The inspector will be checking these lights for workability and they must be working in normal and emergency mode.

Fire Extinguisher Maintenance

The inspector will verify that the common areas of the building have the legally required number, and type, of portable fire extinguishers. The fire extinguisher maintenance history will also be reviewed. Make sure that your extinguishers are properly tagged and serviced within the required timelines.

Additional Fire Safety Checks

On top of the above mentioned details, a Chicago fire safety check will also include electrical components. Electrical fires are quite common due to old wiring or other electrical problems. An inspector will take a look at circuit breaker panels as well as outlets and other components to check for any problems.

Always have your electrical systems reviewed by a professional and any repair needs taken care of quickly. Without proper maintenance, electrical wires can easily lead to a fire that can cause serious damage to your property as well as harm those inside.

Take time to maintain your building in all areas so that you can protect it and those inside from fire. Take any notes provided by an inspector to heart and make changes necessary to ensure that your building is secure from potential fire damage.