protecting the things on your property outside of the home

protecting the things on your property outside of the home

Whether Or Not To Have Occupant-Use Fire Hoses In Your Office Building

by Louise Gomez

If you are in the midst of a big remodel of the office building you manage, you're going to have to answer questions about whether or not to keep old occupant-use fire hoses. These are the fire hoses you see coiled up in glass-fronted cubbyholes in the wall. These are meant for office workers to use (hence the name "occupant-use"), but firefighters will generally not go near these hoses because of concerns about their maintenance. But there are reasons to keep the hoses. Here's a look at the concerns surrounding the hoses and how you can fix those so that you have convenient firefighting power a few feet away from your desk.

The Issues

The big issues with occupant-use hoses are training and condition -- the hoses just lie unused and unchecked. Maintenance records can be spotty, and it's not unusual to find buildings where the hoses were constantly overlooked during inspections and routine maintenance rounds. It's possible that, if someone tried to use the hose, it just wouldn't work.

Plus, if you haven't trained your staff in how to use the hoses, it's kind of pointless and possibly dangerous to have the hoses there. Someone who does not know what he or she is doing can injure themselves with the hose; even if the person handles the hose correctly, he or she might not know how close to get to the fire or how long to stay there. It's possible for the person to sustain burns or smoke inhalation because they don't know when to give up and get out of the building.

How to Fix Those Issues

You need to get your building facilities or safety department to inspect all of the hoses immediately if maintenance has not been the best. Call in local fire authorities or a fire hose company for help if necessary. Also ask those organizations if they have training classes so that your workers know what to do.

If you revamp your fire hose maintenance and training, then you have another firefighting implement ready to go. The hoses allow people to reach smaller fires that aren't near sinks, and proper use can save your building from a lot of damage.

Remember, the fire department can't always arrive immediately at a fire. The more ways you have to extinguish a fire fast, the better off you'll be. Talk to a fire hose company (like Alexander Gow Fire Equipment Company) about the latest models and regulations.


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About Me

protecting the things on your property outside of the home

Many homeowners focus their home security systems on the home itself but neglect to cover the other structures on the property and the property itself. Do you have an outbuilding, shed or garage that you use to store things in? Do you put those expensive inflatable decorations out in your lawn each holiday? There are probably several things outside of your home that warrant protection as much as the things that you keep inside of your home. This blog will show you the security measures that you can take to ensure that everything on your property is protected as best as it can be.

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