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Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused byfire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to preventthe ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread and impact of a fire.
Fire safety measures include those that are planned during theconstruction of a building or implemented in structures that are already standing and those that are taught or provided to occupants of the building.[citation needed]
Threats to fire safety are commonly referred to asfire hazards. A fire hazard may include a situation that increases the likelihood of a fire or may impedeescape in the event a fire occurs.[citation needed]
Fire safety is often a component ofbuilding safety. Those who inspect buildings for violations of the Fire Code and go into schools to educate children on fire safety topics are Fire Department members known asFire Prevention Officers. The Chief Fire Prevention Officer or Chief of Fire Prevention will normally train newcomers to theFire Prevention Division and may also conduct inspections or make presentations.[1]
Fire safety policies apply at the construction of a building and throughout its operating life.Building codes are enacted by local, sub-national, or national governments to ensure such features as adequatefire exits, signage, and construction details such asfire stops and fire rated doors, windows, and walls. Fire safety is also an objective ofelectrical codes to prevent overheating of wiring or equipment, and to protect from ignition by electrical faults.[2]
Fire codes regulate such requirements as the maximumoccupancy for buildings such as theatres or restaurants, for example. Fire codes may require portablefire extinguishers within a building, or may require permanently installed fire detection and suppression equipment such as afire sprinkler system and afire alarm system.
Local authorities charged with fire safety may conduct regular inspections for such items as usablefire exit and proper exit signage, functionalfire extinguishers of the correct type in accessible places, and proper storage and handling of flammable materials. Depending on local regulations, a fire inspection may result in a notice of required action, or closing of a building until it can be put into compliance with fire code requirements.[citation needed]
Owners and managers of a building may implement additional fire policies. For example, an industrial site may designate and train particular employees as a fire fighting force. Managers must ensure buildings comply withfire evacuation regulations, and that building features such as sprayfireproofing remains undamaged. Fire policies may be in place to dictate training and awareness of occupants and users of the building to avoid obvious mistakes, such as the propping open offire doors. Buildings, especially institutions such as schools, may conductfire drills at regular intervals throughout the year.[citation needed]
Beyond individual buildings, otherelements of fire safety policies may include technologies such as wood coatings,[3][4] education and prevention, preparedness measures,wildfire detection and suppression, and ensuring geographic coverage of local and sufficient fire extinguishing capacities.
Some common fire hazards are:[5]
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In the United States, the fire code (also fire prevention code or fire safety code) is a model code adopted by the state or local jurisdiction and enforced by fire prevention officers within municipalfire departments. It is a set of rules prescribing minimum requirements to prevent fire and explosion hazards arising from storage, handling, or use of dangerous materials, or from other specific hazardous conditions.[6] It complements thebuilding code. The fire code is aimed primarily at preventing fires, ensuring that necessary training and equipment will be on hand, and that the original design basis of the building, including the basic plan set out by thearchitect, is not compromised. The fire code also addresses inspection and maintenance requirements of variousfire protection equipment in order to maintain optimalactive fire protection andpassive fire protection measures.
A typical fire safety code includes administrative sections about the rule-making and enforcement process, and substantive sections dealing with fire suppression equipment, particular hazards such as containers and transportation for combustible materials, and specific rules for hazardous occupancies, industrial processes, and exhibitions.[citation needed]
Sections may establish the requirements for obtaining permits and specific precautions required to remain in compliance with a permit. For example, a fireworks exhibition may require an application to be filed by a licensed pyrotechnician, providing the information necessary for the issuing authority to determine whether safety requirements can be met. Once a permit is issued, the same authority (or another delegated authority) may inspect the site and monitor safety during the exhibition, with the power to halt operations, when unapproved practices are seen or when unforeseen hazards arise.[citation needed]
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Most U.S. fire departments havefire safety education programs.
Fire prevention programs may include distribution ofsmoke detectors, visiting schools to review key topics with the students and implementing nationally recognized programs such asNFPAS "Risk Watch" and "Learn not to burn".[7]
Other programs or props can be purchased by fire departments or community organizations. These are usually entertaining and designed to capture children's attention and relay important messages. Props include those that are mostly auditory, such as puppets and robots. The prop is visually stimulating but the safety message is only transmitted orally. Other props are more elaborate, access more senses and increase the learning factor. They mix audio messages and visual cues with hands-on interaction. Examples of these include mobile trailer safety houses and tabletop hazard house simulators. Some fire prevention software is also being developed to identify hazards in a home.[8]
All programs tend to mix messages of general injury prevention, safety, fire prevention, and escape in case of fire. In most cases the fire department representative is regarded as the expert and is expected to present information in a manner that is appropriate for each age group.
The US industry standard that outlines the recommended qualifications for fire safety educators is NFPA 1035: Standard for Professional Qualifications for Public Fire and Life Safety Educator, which includes the requirements for Fire and Life Safety Educator Levels I, II, and III; Public Information Officer; and Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist Levels I and II.[9]
According to theUnited States Fire Administration, the very young and the elderly are considered to be "at risk" populations. These groups represent approximately 33% of the population.
Fire safety has been highlighted in relation toglobal supply chain management. Sedex, the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, a collaborative platform for sharing ethicalsupply chain data,[10] and Verité, Inc., aMassachusetts-based supply chain investigatoryNGO, issued a briefing in August 2013 which highlighted the significance of this issue.[11] The briefing referred to several major factory fires, including the2012 Dhaka garment factory fire in the Tazreen Fashion factory and other examples of fires in Bangladesh,Pakistan[12] and elsewhere, compared the incidence of fire safety issues in a manufacturing context, and highlighted the need forbuyers, suppliers and local fire safety enforcement agencies all to take action to improve fire safety within the supply chains forready-made garments and other products. The briefing recommended that buyers seek greater visibility of fire safety and other risks across the supply chain and identify opportunities to improve standards: "buyers can encourage change through more responsible and consistent practices".[11]
Afire safety plan is required by all North American national, state andprovincial fire codes based on building use or occupancy types. Generally, the owner of the building is responsible for the preparation of a fire safety plan. Buildings with elaborate emergency systems may require the assistance of a fire protection consultant. After the plan has been prepared, it must be submitted to the Chief Fire Official or authority having jurisdiction for approval. Once approved, the owner is responsible for implementing the fire safety plan and training all staff in their duties. It is also the owner's responsibility to ensure that all visitors and staff are informed of what to do in case of fire. During a fire emergency, a copy of the approved fire safety plan must be available for the responding fire department's use.
In the United Kingdom, a fire safety plan is called a fire risk assessment.[13]
Fire safety plans are a useful tool for fire fighters to have because they allow them to know critical information about a building that they may have to go into. Using this, fire fighters can locate and avoid potential dangers such as hazardous material (hazmat) storage areas and flammablechemicals. In addition to this, fire safety plans can also provide specialized information that, in the case of a hospital fire, can provide information about the location of things like thenuclear medicine ward.[14] In addition to this, fire safety plans also greatly improve the safety of fire fighters. According to FEMA, 16 percent of all fire fighter deaths in 2002 occurred due to a structural collapse or because the fire fighter got lost.[15] Fire safety plans can outline any possible structural hazards, as well as give the fire fighter knowledge of where he is in the building.
In North America alone, there are around 8 million buildings that legally require a fire safety plan, be it due to provincial or state law.[16] Not having a fire safety plan for buildings which fit the fire code occupancy type can result in a fine, and they are required for all buildings, such as commercial, industrial, assembly, etc.
As previously stated, a copy of the approved fire safety plan shall be available for the responding fire department. This, however, is not always the case. Up until now, all fire plans were stored in paper form in the fire department. The problem with this is that sorting and storing these plans is a challenge, and it is difficult for people to update their fire plans. As a result, only half of the required buildings have fire plans, and of those, only around 10 percent are up-to-date.[16] This problem has been solved through the introduction of digital fire plans. These fire plans are stored in adatabase and can be accessed wirelessly on site by firefighters and are much simpler for building owners to update.
Fire is one of the biggest threats to property with losses adding up to billions of dollars in damages every year. In 2019 alone, the total amount of property damage resulting from fire was $14.8 billion in the United States.[17] Insurance companies in the United States are not only responsible for financially covering fire loss but are also responsible for managing risk associated with it. Most commercial insurance companies hire arisk control specialist whose primary job is to survey property to ensure compliance with NFPA standards, assess the current risk level of the property, and make recommendations to reduce the probability of fire loss. Careers in property risk management continue to grow and have been projected to grow 4 to 8% from 2018 to 2028 in the United States.[18]
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