{"id":1342,"date":"2022-10-24T07:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T11:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2022-10-06T14:08:15","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T18:08:15","slug":"facility-maintenance-matters-hurricane-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/blog\/facility-maintenance-matters-hurricane-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Facility Maintenance Matters During Hurricane Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commercial building owners in Florida are no strangers to hurricanes. Why? More than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/states-with-the-most-hurricanes\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">41%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of hurricanes that hit the United States make some kind of landfall in the sunshine state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to the frequency and severity of these storms, building owners must take preventative measures such as facility maintenance to protect their property during hurricane season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s discuss this further.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Prepare Your Facility for a Hurricane<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hurricanes are characterized by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strong, high-speed winds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tornadoes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Torrential rains, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storm surges<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/states-with-the-most-hurricanes\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> classified almost a third of hurricanes to hit Florida as Category 3 with winds ranging from 111 to 128 mph. This considered, building owners should prepare their commercial property to withstand these intense elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how can you prepare your facility for a hurricane? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commercial building owners can take the following steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a containment plan for any hazardous chemicals or on-site materials<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop an emergency response plan<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invest in data backup servers and backup generators<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create an evacuation plan with multiple routes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide provisions for alternative communication systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make safety equipment accessible<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, commercial building owners should prioritize the maintenance of fire safety systems in their facilities to properly protect people and property.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Facility Maintenance is Crucial in a Hurricane<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the event of an emergency,\u00a0 owners want to be sure the safety systems installed in their buildings work effectively. Why? These systems can make a difference in saving lives and property.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saving Lives and Protecting Property<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfpa.org\/codes-and-standards\/all-codes-and-standards\/list-of-codes-and-standards\/detail?code=1600\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NFPA 1600<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emphasizes the importance of assessing and addressing possible risks before a hurricane:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;5.4.1* The entity shall conduct a resource needs assessment based on the hazards identified in Section 5.2 and the business impact analysis in Section 5.3.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA.5.4.1 Scenarios developed during the risk assessment and BIA should be used to identify resources needed by the program. Resources for emergency operations\/response to protect life safety, stabilize the incident, and protect property should be identified.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfpa.org\/codes-and-standards\/all-codes-and-standards\/list-of-codes-and-standards\/detail?code=1600\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NFPA 1600<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> discusses the necessity of automatic sprinkler systems. Since many natural catastrophes include a significant threat of fire, automatic sprinklers are essential.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfpa.org\/codes-and-standards\/all-codes-and-standards\/list-of-codes-and-standards\/detail?code=1600\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Fire Protection Association<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (NFPA) suggests property owners have their automatic sprinkler systems inspected before hurricane season in case of such an emergency.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insurance Purposes<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many insurance carriers require proof that property owners took reasonable measures to prevent damage before covering a claim. Building owners should keep in mind this can include both fire and flood property damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Systems Should be Inspected Before a Hurricane?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building owners can employ the help of an experienced technician to ensure other systems are properly installed, serviced, and maintained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, these systems may include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fire alarm systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fire sprinkler systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Backflow preventers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fire extinguishers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emergency and exit lighting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fire pumps<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commercial kitchen fire suppression systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clean agent fire suppression systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Access control<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intrusion systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fire hydrants<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foam systems, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elevator monitoring<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Often Should These Systems Be Inspected?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How often you service or inspect your fire protection services depends on the device.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some systems require inspections on a weekly, monthly, semi-annual, or annual\u00a0 basis. However, all fire and life safety systems require at least an annual inspection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, property owners do not need to wait before or during hurricane season to schedule an inspection for their safety systems. These systems should be checked year-round to ensure they will perform to the best of their ability at any time \u2013 hurricane season or not!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ready to Have Your Systems Inspected? Consider LSM<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LifeSafety Management has been providing fire protection and life safety services in South Florida for over 20 years\u2014hence why, we\u2019re your resident life safety experts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LifeSafety is your single-source provider for any of your fire protection needs: Fire alarms, sprinklers, fire suppression systems, security systems, and beyond. We can start from the very beginning to design and install your systems, then maintain and repair your systems as needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/solutions\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about us and our solutions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commercial building owners in Florida are no strangers to hurricanes. Why? More than 41% of hurricanes that hit the United States make some kind of landfall in the sunshine state. Due to the frequency and severity of these storms, building owners must take preventative measures such as facility maintenance to protect their property during hurricane [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":629,"featured_media":1343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17,8,6,7,4,5,13,18],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/629"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}