Means of Egress…It sounds pretty straight and forward, but what does it really mean? How easy is it to locate a means of egress when seconds count? How effective are your means of egress? Are your means of egress up to code? These are just some questions to ask yourself about emergency exits, or your “means of egress”. If you are in charge or will be held accountable for emergency plans, you should be able to answer these questions about your entire facility.

Every workplace must have enough exits suitably located to enable everyone to get out of the facility quickly. Considerations include the type of structure, the number of persons exposed, the fire protection available, the type of industry involved, and the height and type of construction of the building or structure. In addition, fire doors must not be blocked or locked when employees are inside. Delayed opening of fire doors, however, is permitted when an approved alarm system is integrated into the fire door design. Exit routes from buildings must be free of obstructions and properly marked with exit signs. The standard 29 CFR 1910.36 Design and Construction requirements for exit routes consists of several requirements:

• Every exit must be clearly visible, or the path to it conspicuously identified in such a manner that every occupant of the building will know the best way to get out of the building in a fire or other emergency.
• Exits must never be obstructed. Any door or passageway that is not an exit or path to an exit must be identified with a sign that reads ‘Not An Exit‘ or a sign that indicates its actual use, such as storage.
• All exit signs must either be self-illuminating, or illuminated by a reliable external light source

For more information regarding 29 CFR 1910.36, visit osha.gov. Remember, there are more than just signs needed for as proper “means of egress” ; fire extinguishers, safety vests, flashlights, evacuation maps just to name a few. Check out Seton’s new virtual tour online for Emergency Evacuation.  This tool demonstrates an integrated emergency evacuation plan from the top to bottom of your building. Be confident that your employees are equipped with the right Seton products to keep them safe during blackout/emergency evacuations.

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Smoking bans are legislated and enforced by state and local government. Since there is no universal federal law on no smoking, following the right protocol can become very confusing.  Smoking regulations vary state by state. Some states have comprehensive no-smoking laws already on the books, while some states are still catching up.  As of July 2010, 29 states and Washington D.C. have passed laws that prohibit smoking in almost all public places and workplaces which also include restaurants and bars.

Some states have specific no-smoking signs that are required by state law. Size, color, material and wording are not consistent from state to state.  Penalties, violations and tickets are common to enforce smoke-free bans.  Be confident you are complying with your specific state’s laws and don’t have to worry about fines.  Seton offers Smoke – Free Signs available for your state and come in several sizes and styles to meet the needs of your state’s regulations.

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Every year the NFPA collects information on firefighter deaths while on-duty.  On-duty fatalities include injuries that turn fatal, fatal mishaps involving non-emergency occupational hazards and illnesses that  were a result of an action that took place while on duty.   For the first time in 3 years on- the -job firefighter deaths has dropped below 100.  In 2009,  it was reported that 82 firefighters were killed which is a big drop from  2008, which reported 105 deaths.   

“While a drop over one year certainly isn’t enough to show a trend, it is definitely encouraging to see the number of firefighter fatalities drop well below that 10-year average,” said Rita Fahy, NFPA’s manager of fire databases and systems. “We are hopeful that we will continue to see fewer and fewer firefighter fatalities over the next 10 years.”

To read more on this article and view the full report visit NFPA. This annual report clearly shows the risks to our nation’s firefighters.

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The NFPA reported recently that after an adjustment for inflation in 2007,  Total Cost of Fire in the United States has increased 86% since 1980.

NFPA report states -  The complete total cost of fire is defined as the sum of economic loss (e.g., property damage, business interruption), human loss (e.g., lives lost, medical treatment, pain and suffering), and the cost of provisions to prevent or mitigate the cost of fire (e.g., fire departments, insurance, and fire protection equipment and construction).

Other key findings from the report:

• Although the core total cost of fire increased, the economic loss due to fire decreased by 13 percent since 1980, totaling at $18.6 billion.
• The total cost of direct property damages, reported or unreported, totaled at $16.6 billion.  This figure represents 90 percent of the economic loss.  The other 10 percent represents indirect losses, such as business interruption.
• Human losses are estimated at $42.5 billion.

For more information visit NFPA.org

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For nearly 90 years the NFPA has sponsored fire prevention campaigns in the month of October.  These campaigns are to stress the importance of fire safety and prevention to help avoid injuries and possible death.  Well, just the other day the NFPA announced their theme for this October! The theme is Smoke Alarms:  A sound you can live with! Just alone in 2008, home fires killed 2,755 people and injured 13,160. Most of these fires were in homes that had no smoke alarms or had smoke alarms were not working. Having working fire alarms can cut the chance of dying in half!

So mark your calendars!  Fire Prevention Week 2010 is October 3-9.  It’s not that far away!

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According to OSHA - Every workplace must have enough exits properly located to allow everyone to get out of the facility quickly. Considerations include the type of structure, the number of persons exposed, the fire protection available, the type of industry involved, and the height and type of construction of the building or structure. In addition, fire doors must not be blocked or locked when employees are inside. Delayed opening of fire doors, however, is permitted when an approved alarm system is integrated into the fire door design. Exit routes from buildings must be free of obstructions and properly marked with exit signs. See 29 CFR Part 1910.36 for details about all requirements.

Seton is the Source for Safety, Labeling & Signage Guaranteed Fast and Flawless Every Time!

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Week 3 (May 16-22) Educating Your Children

An estimated 53,000 electrical fires occur in U.S. homes each year. Most of these can be avoided by taking a few simple safety precautions.  “Using electricity is something we take for granted, but using it safely is very important,” says ESFI president Brett Brenner. “By understanding how electricity works and where it is found, we can each do our part in preventing electrical dangers no matter where we are.”  May is National Electrical Safety Month, and a great time to review important electrical and fire safety practices with your children and family to help keep your home safe from electrical dangers year-round!

In week 3’s  section, you will find:

• Outdoor Electrical Safety
• Indoor Electrical Safety
• Electrical & Fire Safety For Your Family

Virtual Demonstrations

• AFCI Virtual Demonstration View l Download
• GFCI Virtual Demonstration View l Download
• TRR Virtual Demonstration View l Download

Source: http://esfi.org/

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has posted the FY 2010 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (FIRE Act) program guidance.  The main goal of this grant is to help the needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations.   The AFG reviews applications to seek out organizations that lack resources and tools that are necessary to help protect the life and safety of the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards. $390 million will be provided to aid in obtaining protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources that may be needed by these organizations.

Since 2001, this grant has helped so many.  Lamar County, MS  is just one of many true success stories.  In 2008,  Lamar County volunteer firefighter’s received a grant of $120,764.  With the help of this grant new equipment and gear for firefighters was purchased. “The grant couldn’t have come at a better time,” Stevens said. A rural department doesn’t have that kind of extra money to buy equipment, even if it’s needed. Our old gear was worn out and needed to be replaced. The new stuff got here just in time.”  2 lives were saved in a fire with the thanks of new equipment.

Application turn in started on Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 8:00am Eastern Time and will end on May 28th, 2010 at 5:00pm Eastern Time

Source: iaff.org

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Take a look around your building.  You can probably spot a few fire extinguishers near your current location.  Now think…if there was a small fire the first thing you would do is call 911 and then immediately run for one of those extinguishers to put out the fire, right?   Well, what if that extinguisher didn’t work!  Fire extinguishers could be damaged, have leaks, be corroded or have other defects especially if they have been sitting around for a long time.  These are good reasons why it  is important to have a process in place to check them out.   So here is simple fire extinguisher self inspection checklist to follow.

• Do you have a portable fire extinguisher program in place?
• Does your facility provide employee training in portable fire extinguishers?
• Are all fire extinguishers mounted properly?
• Are all fire extinguishers checked on a monthly basis?
• Have all fire extinguishers had an annual inspection within the last 12 months?
• Are all fire extinguishers properly charged?
• Are all extinguishers readily accessible, adequately conspicuous and of the correct type/class for anticipated fires?
• Is there a master inventory list describing the location and type of each fire extinguisher in your facility? 

Seton carries a variety fire inspection tags, fire equipment signs and more ! Let Seton be your source for safety needs!

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We all know that forklifts and other material handling machinery can be dangerous and should be used with caution.   Every year there are tens of thousands of forklift injuries reported.  Even though these machines require special licenses to operate, it is a lack of safe operating procedures, safety rule-enforcement and inadequate training  that contribute  to these accidents.  

When you hear of accidents that involve forklifts, does fire ever enter your mind?  It wouldn’t be the first thing I thought of but surprisingly there are many cases of forklift fires.  According to the NFPA between 2003-2006 there were a reported 1,340 structure and vehicle fires where forklifts and other material handling vehicles were involved.  These fires caused an average of 22 civilian injuries and $36.0 million in property damage. Thankfully no deaths have been reported.  The most common occupancies where forklift fires have occurred are outside and in manufacturing/processing.

Here a some examples of how forklift fires happen:

• Unclassified mechanical failure malfunction 

• Electrical failures or malfunctions 

• Vehicles or their loads can damage the structure, its sprinkler system, or its contents. Such damage can result in fire, impaired  sprinkler performance, or unintentional sprinkler activations

Keep your facility safe incase of an emergency.  Let Seton  be your source for all your safety needs. 

Help avoid any type of  accident, including forklift accidents, by posting safety signs around your facility as a reminder to all.

To read more on this topic visit NFPA

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