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The State Fire Marshal’s Office recently conducted a survey of 189 Texas nightclubs.  It found that more than 96% of these businesses had means of egress violations, meaning their exits were blocked, locked, and/or poorly marked.  With thousands of similar nightclubs, bars, and dancehalls throughout Texas, it is essential that proprietors do their part to help run safe businesses.  The following are ways you can conduct a proactive safety review of your property or call us at Fire Safety Solutions to assist.

1.       Invite a fire safety professional to help identify potential problems
2.       Be diligent about enforcing capacity limitations.
3.       Employees should always watch for and correct fire safety hazards.
4.       Ensure all employees know how to conduct safe evacuations in case of fire. 

PARTICULARS: IMPORTANT THINGS TO LOOK FOR

• Exits: Are there a sufficient number of exits?
• Doors:  Are they blocked or locked?  Do the doors swing in the direction of travel?
• Emergency lighting:  Does emergency lighting work?
• Exit marking:  Are exits clearly marked?
• Kitchen areas:  Are kitchen hood protection systems working?
• Interior finish:  Are walls and ceiling finishes fire resistive?  Are decorations fire resistive?
• Alarms & Sprinklers:  If present, do they work?
• Fire extinguishers: Are they present & charged?

Spending a few minutes going through this checklist can help prevent loss of human life and help safeguard against costly property damage and legal costs.

 
PREPARING A HOME FIRE ESCAPE PLAN...   GET OUT NOW!

You wake up in the middle of the night hearing the constant loud beeping sound of your smoke detector.  You can see smoke all around you.  Do you know what to do?

HAVE A PLAN AND PRACTICE IT REGULARLY

► Draw a floor plan of your house or apartment, marking all doors and windows.
► Know two ways out of every room. If one way is blocked, you still have a way out. 
► Plan a waiting place where everyone will meet. Don't go back in the house!   Call emergency from a neighbor's.
► If someone is trapped, let the fire department rescue them.
► Practice your exit plan until it becomes automatic.  Then practice it at least twice a year.

 
“FIRE FACTS” 
Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal’s Office December 2006
Texas Fire Incident Reporting System

According to the United States Fire Administration, the U.S. continues to experience a severe fire problem of great national concern. The USFA reports that fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined.

In 2005, fire departments nationwide reported:

• 1,602,000 total fires
• 3,675 civilian fire deaths, approximately 83% occurred in the home
• 17,925 civilian fire injuries
• a residential structure fire occurred every 78 seconds

In Texas for 2005, fire departments statewide reported:

• 93,914 total fires, a fire occurred every 6 minutes
• 147 civilian fire deaths, approximately 52% occurred in the home
• 734 civilian fire injuries
• smoke detectors present and operated in only 20% of residential structure fires
• 27% of civilian deaths in residential property   involved the elderly (age 65 and over).
• $500,451,021 in property loss due to fire
• 8,169 incendiary/suspicious fires.

This summary report is a statistical presentation of fire incident information collected and submitted by all participating fire departments. 985 fire departments participated in incident reporting in 2005, an increase of 6%. When reviewing the information in this report, it should be noted that TEXFIRS participation is voluntary and not all fire incident information is complete or submitted to this office.

WHAT’S YOUR EXIT STRATEGY?  

When a fire breaks out in a crowded place, everyone runs to the entrance.  People panic and start pushing.  Some fall down.  Some even die.  When you walk into a public place, plan an exit strategy.  And keep in mind, the best way out may not be the way in…

Volume 2; Issue 1