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Fire Protection Basics for Apartment Complexes

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Jessica Wilson
Fire Protection Basics for Apartment Complexes

If you thought 2020’s bushfires were tough to wrap your mind around, here is something else. House fires in Australia kill more people than all-natural disasters combined. That includes bushfires, floods, and storms.

A 2019 study, which the Macquarie University and Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Center funded, showed residential fires kill fifty Australians each year.

It gets even more interesting.

What is considered a fire hazard in an apartment?

The top causes of house fires in Australia, according to Australian insurance (house claims), non-governmental, and Department of Fire and Emergency Services records:

  • Unattended cooking in kitchens is the leading cause of housefires.
  • Faulty electrical appliances and wiring overheat and ignite.
  • Heaters, spare fridges in carports, and candles are also common causes of home fires in Australia.

Fortunately, most of the fires are preventable. So, taking specific fire protection steps can help keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Here is how to protect your family and property.

Only use high-quality electrical supplies

Picture this.

Rechargeable batteries and faulty chargers. Charging devices in the bedroom. Clothes dryers. Overloaded power boards and power points. Heaters. They are all significant origins of home fires nowadays.

Overall, electrical mishaps cause over 40% of residential fires, according to Fire and Rescue NSW.

What to do to prevent electrical fires.

  • Only buy from a licensed electrical wire supply online or retail professional who meets Australian standards.
  • Stick to high-quality electrical supplies for all fixtures to avoid safety bottlenecks.
  • Avoid overloading your power boards and points.
  • Avoid charging your devices or smoking inside bedrooms.
  • Be sure to check electrical components for faults and damage regularly.
  • Turn off all electrical appliances before leaving home.

Here are more ways to help prevent apartment building fires.

Install the right fire protection equipment

Did you know that you won’t smell smoke from a fire when you are asleep?

That’s why it crucial to install smoke detectors in each apartment in the complex. The best place to install smoke detectors is near sleeping areas and along an exit to open air.

You’ll also want to ensure you provide enough fire extinguishers in the apartment complex.

An ideal place to keep a fire extinguisher in an apartment is inside the kitchen, where most house fires start.

How many fire extinguishers should you have in an apartment?

If you manage an apartment building, consider placing fire extinguishers on every floor. An excellent place to start is to place one fire extinguisher for every 250 square meters.

Are apartment complexes legally required to provide fire extinguishers?

Unless local regulations explicitly require landlords to provide fire extinguishers, they are not. So you may want to get one yourself.

But if you are management, you’ll want to provide the fire extinguishers to your tenants.

Not only are the cylinders cheap and long-lasting, but they also make your apartment more attractive to potential tenants and buyers than otherwise.

Install smoke and fire alarms.

Choose building-wide options.

Also, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services recommends that you use photoelectric smoke alarms that are mains-powered.

The goal here is to detect and alert as many people as you can in the shortest time possible if a fire starts in one corner of the building.

Early detection can help save both lives and property.

Have fire sprinklers in every apartment

Working sprinklers are some of the most potent first response mechanisms that can help douse a fire and prevent losses.

They are also great because they do not cause as much wall damage as the pressure full-on hosepipes cause.

Have a professional fire protection service inspect your fire protection system

Fire and Rescue NSW also advises that lacking a smoke alarm can make you twice as likely to die in a house fire than if you had one.

That means you’ll want to make sure you have a working smoke alarm at all times. Regularly inspect your fire protection system to remove dust, cobwebs, and catch any faults.

High-quality fire protection equipment can last you years. Many manufacturers will include the components’ useful life on the packaging, manual, or label.

But the rule of thumb is to replace all fire protection components every ten years.

Bottom Line

A residential fire can destroy what you have built over a lifetime—from your health to relationships and finances.

The good thing is most residential fires in Australia are preventable.

To protect your family and property, start by curbing the common causes of home fires.

You can buy high-quality electrical wire supply wholesale or retail, install the right fire protection system, and regularly inspect the system for faults and damage.

Taking these precautions can help you find the peace of mind you need to live your life without regrets, over to you.

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Jessica Wilson
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