Tips for Developing a Fire Drill Procedure for Your Business

5/9/2022 (Permalink)

Many businesses experience devastating fires every year. If you’re a business owner in Marshalltown, Iowa Falls, Grundy Center, Wellsburg, Reinbeck or any other town in our service area and you have employees on the premises, we want to help you prepare them for the possibility of a fire and keep them safe. Here’s how you can begin to create a fire evacuation drill procedure for your business:

Consult with your local fire officials. 

Getting in touch with your local fire department is often a great place to start on any aspect of fire preparedness for your business. They will typically be happy to consult with you on fire safety measures your business can take, including the best evacuation routes and fire procedures to go over with your staff.

Communicate and mark fire evacuation routes. 

Once you have your evacuation routes set, mark them clearly with signs and communicate with staff on what this means. Involving your employees in the fire safety process will make everyone feel safer and prepare them for when you start scheduling regular drills.

Schedule fire drills frequently. 

Your staff needs to be so familiar with evacuation procedures that they have no questions about what to do should a fire break out. The best way to prepare them is to hold regular fire drills, at least once every quarter. These should be mandatory drills that require everyone to leave the premises according to the established escape route, gather at a predesignated area and be accounted for by a supervisor once everyone is evacuated. They should also be trained not to leave the designated area until given the all-clear sign to return to the building. 

Run different fire scenarios. Fires can start due to a myriad of reasons, so it is important to prepare for all possibilities when you hold your fire drills. Practice for different situations by blocking off different exits and having the fire drill originate in different parts of the building to give everyone the tools they need to escape safely regardless of what type of fire is started.

If your business has experienced fire damage, call SERVPRO of Marshalltown anytime, day or night. We are a local business that specializes in commercial fire restoration and are ready to be there quickly when you need us. Call (641) 758-9746.