As a business owner in Las Vegas, fire protection may be one of your biggest fears – and rightfully so. Sadly, commercial fires happen all too often, and there are many potential sources and causes of commercial fires. It is always best to be prepared with fire safety policies, plans, and precautions to ensure the best results for you, your business, and your employees. One of the best ways to be prepared is to understand the most common causes of commercial fires. The National Fire Protection Association has found some of the most common causes of fires in commercial buildings, and we at Design Builders in Las Vegas want to make sure that you are aware of the 3 main ones.
Now unless you own a restaurant, cooking is probably not the first thought of potential fires when it comes to your commercial building but almost every business office has a kitchen area. What makes cooking equipment the most common cause of commercial fires in not only restaurants but every commercial building is the high temperatures and flammable materials that are used in kitchens. Obviously the risk is greater in commercial kitchens, but it is still a huge threat to any building and should be treated as such. This is why extreme caution needs to be taken in the kitchen. Still wondering just how prevalent fires caused by cooking equipment in commercial buildings is? Cooking equipment and kitchen fires make up the following:
These numbers may seem surprising, but when you stop to think about the equipment used, the distractions that come up, and the highly flammable substances found in kitchens, it really does create the perfect environment to feed flames. This is why it is so important to be present in the kitchen, always use extreme caution, and keep surfaces and equipment clean.
Most commercial buildings will use heat to maintain a comfortable indoor working atmosphere at some point throughout the year (some climates much more frequently than others). We have a warm and temperate climate here in Vegas, but that doesn’t mean that occasionally in the evenings or winter months that a little heat won’t ever be needed. Heating elements that are often used can range from furnaces and boilers to radiators and space heaters. As with any other piece of equipment, heating devices are subject to overheating and malfunction, which can lead to fires. When left unattended or running for extended amounts of time without observation, heating equipment can easily spark into devastating fires. In fact, heating elements are responsible for the following:
It is important to have furnaces, boilers, and radiators serviced and maintained regularly to avoid malfunction and damage, and, when required, to be sure to change filters as directed by the manufacturers. It is also very important to never leave the space heater turned on or even plugged in if unattended.
Could you imagine how different your business, let alone the world, would be without electricity? Thankfully most modern buildings are wired for electricity to provide light and power to our businesses and lives. The problem is that, while absolutely necessary, electricity wiring carries an inherent fire risk. When wiring becomes old or defective, or is not up to code, it can cause other problems like overheating, circuit overload, poor connections, and many other potential fire-causing risks. Electrical problems are responsible for:
It is so important to have your commercial building thoroughly inspected for poor, faulty, damaged or incorrect electrical wiring. Do not overload a circuit, and utilize surge protectors to help safe-guard your business from dangerous fire damage and cleanup.
