The Importance of a Fire Alarm System

Installing a fire alarm is one of the most important measures you can take to manage your building’s fire risk. Fire alarms save lives and mitigate property damage, among other benefits.

If you don’t already have a fire alarm installed in your commercial building, consider adding one as soon as possible. Then, don’t forget the importance of ongoing inspections and tests.

For fire alarm installation throughout the Southeast, count on Unifour Fire & Safety — call or contact us online.

5 Reasons To Install a Fire Alarm

If you’ve never experienced what it’s like to recover from a fire, consider yourself lucky. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), over 113,000 non-residential fires broke out in the U.S. in 2015, killing 90 civilians, injuring 1,425 others, and causing $3.1 billion in property damage.

Mitigate these risks with a fire alarm. The importance of a fire alarm system can’t be understated. These systems:

• Save lives: The biggest reason to install a fire alarm is to make the building safe for your employees, customers, and tenants. A combination of smoke and heat detectors, sirens and bells, and strobe lights detect fires and alert building occupants, giving them ample time to evacuate in a safe, orderly fashion.
• Reduce property loss: While strobe lights and sirens don’t actively put out fires, they alert the people who can. The fire control process begins when trained personnel attack a small fire with an extinguisher and bystanders, guests, or employees call the fire department. Monitored fire alarm systems automatically notify emergency responders and fire trucks dispatch to your location without delay. The faster these responses happen, the sooner the fire is extinguished and the less damage your building sustains.
• Shorten your recovery time: Less building damage means shorter downtime until you can reopen for business. This reduces your losses from a fire even more, allowing you to return to business as usual sooner.
• May qualify you for insurance discounts: Most insurance carriers offer discounted rates on business insurance policy premiums if you have a code-compliant fire alarm system. Some providers require you to install a fire alarm before they’ll insure your business.
• Keep you code-compliant: If you want to avoid fees and embarrassing PR problems, avoid getting caught up in code-compliance issues. One way to do this is to install a fire alarm in your commercial building.

If you need fire alarm installation in South Carolina, North Carolina, or Georgia, trust Unifour Fire & Safety — call or contact us online.

Don’t Forget Fire Alarm Inspections & Testing

Fire alarm installation is the first step in protecting life and property in a fire, but don’t underestimate the importance of fire alarm inspections and testing. The National Fire Alarm Code requires simple weekly and quarterly visual checks, thorough semiannual tests, and professional yearly inspections by a licensed fire protection company.

If you skip these essential maintenance steps, you face these risks:

• Most fire alarms provide information about where the fire is located to emergency responders. An undetected malfunction in this information delivery process could delay firefighting efforts.
• False alarms could disrupt your daily operations and needlessly dispatch fire trucks to your location, possibly resulting in fees for repeat offenses.
• The alarm could fail to go off properly in a fire, putting people’s lives at risk.
• You could be fined for failing to comply with fire safety codes.
• Your insurance carrier may reject your claim without proof of annual fire alarm inspections.
• Your liability for potential injuries or loss of life skyrockets if you neglect your fire alarm system.

Trust Unifour for Fire Alarm Services in Georgia, North Carolina & South Carolina

Since 1984, we’ve been the company to call for fire alarm services for businesses, organizations, and restaurants. One of the main reasons your neighbors have been trusting Unifour Fire & Safety for over 40 years is that we’re a one-stop shop for fire protection services in the Southeast.

If you have questions about your current fire alarm system or need one installed, contact Unifour Fire & Safety today.