We recently wrote about new fire sprinkler requirements for retirement homes and long-term care facilities in Ontario. Whether you have to meet a legal mandate or simply want to protect your property and occupants, fire sprinklers are a very effective fire safety option. They make a significant difference for preventing loss of life and minimizing damage.

In our last post, inspired by a survey of business owners in the UK, we looked at the four main reasons small businesses and property owners take fire safety risks: confusion, lack of resources, apathy, and denial. Now it’s time to talk about solutions.

Why do Toronto business and property owners take risks with fire safety?

In any given week, the regional media covers many devastating fire stories, centered around these themes:

Just over a year ago, Ontario's Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur announced important new fire safety regulations impacting retirement homes and long-term care facilities. The law took effect January 1, 2014.

We’re often asked by people what they should look for when selecting a new fire protection service provider. You have different choices for your vendor relationships, but there is greater responsibility attached to a fire safety provider’s work versus that of a printer, plumber, or other service provider. (You don’t often hear of people dying or losing everything due to a bad print job or clogged drains).

A restaurant fire suppression system is a mandatory safety item in all restaurant kitchens, and for very good reason. A small fire can quickly and easily escalate to a catastrophic loss, causing everything a restaurant owner has worked so hard for to literally go up in smoke and lives to be needlessly put at risk.

A small fire, if left unchecked, can easily and quickly spread out of control. Fire extinguishers are one of the most critical pieces of safety equipment that a business owner or property manager can have in the workplace to prevent the spread of fire and protect both property and lives. 

A fire alarm is a vitally important part of nearly any building. As such, it is important that fire alarm system maintenance is a priority for any business owner, building superintendent or facility manager. The fire alarm provides 24-hour a day protection for building occupants, contents and visitors. Unfortunately, since the alarm is seldom used, problems are quite often overlooked until there is a need for the alarm. Because of this, the best way to ensure the alarm is properly maintained is by creating and utilizing a fire alarm maintenance checklist as outlined by NFPA, ULC, Ontario Fire Code and CSA.