How Can Your Business Prepare for Wildfire Season?

5/30/2019 (Permalink)

Prepare for wildfire season by ensuring employees know the location of all emergency exits and that they are well labeled and easy to find.

Like winter on Game of Thrones, summer inevitably comes to Los Angeles. And with it comes the hot and dry weather that is perfect for barbecues, beach days and, unfortunately, wildfires.

Preparing your business or commercial property is similar to preparing your home for wildfire season, but with a few subtle differences.

Have a Wildfire Evacuation Plan

Be sure all of your employees know the location of all emergency exits. Post your fire evacuation plan in multiple locations where it can be easily accessed in the case of a fire.

Select employees may also be trained on the use of fire extinguishers and other fire suppression equipment.

Lastly, have an emergency contact list handy, both to contact employees who go missing during an emergency evacuation and to contact your employees' loved ones, if necessary.

Manage Flammable Materials and Areas

You can reduce the risk of fire damage to your building and other structures by creating and maintaining a defensible space around your property.

However, some businesses also store significant quantities of flammable chemicals, such as fuels, paints or cleaning solvents, as part of their usual course of business. It's important to properly label, store and catalog the location and quantity of any hazardous materials to help firefighters and other first responders stay safe and effectively protect your property. A chemical safety plan, including specialized fire suppression equipment on site, may be necessary to help mitigate the potential for an even bigger disaster.

Create a Business Continuity Plan

In the event a fire emergency damages your business or otherwise requires you to shut down operations, you will want to refer to a business continuity plan. The plan should detail how your business will operate while recovering from a disaster. It should include contingencies for management structure, computer and data backups, and payroll, as well as repairing or restoring property damaged by fire, soot and smoke.

Be sure to also review or revise your commercial insurance plan so you know what it does, and does not, cover.

Wildfire season in Los Angeles is a fact of life for homeowners, property managers and business owners alike. While there are steps you can take to limit the damage, if you do experience a fire damage loss, call SERVPRO of North Hollywood right away. We're here 24/7 to respond immediately to any size disaster. We'll also work tirelessly to repair and restore your property and get your business up and running again as quickly as possible.