Real Estate Fire Safety Regulations Every Property Owner Must Know

A fire causes great harm to both the property and its residents. Such an unforeseen circumstance needs quick actions to save lives and ensure minimal damage. 

However, there are high chances of damage to half of the property and lives until the fire brigade arrives. Thus, it is indispensable to have proper fire safety measures and regulations in place for all property owners. 

The proper compliance of all safety regulations helps prepare for a fire emergency, perform appropriate actions, and save lives. Right from using proper furniture such as fire doors with glass to proper evacuating planning, every fire safety regulations must be complied carefully to avoid destruction. 

If you are a landlord or going to build a new house/building, you must be acquainted with all fire safety regulations and comply with them strictly. 

Let’s help you understand or recall these fire safety regulations to ensure maximum safety and fewer losses if any mishap happens.

Fire Safety Regulations for Real Estate

Evacuation

As a landlord, you must follow all policies and regulations governing evacuation. The following points are covered in evacuation regulations:

• Evacuation Planning, Instruction, And Practice

An occupier of the house or building requires to perform essential evacuation practices regularly with an interval of not over one year. Also, following proper fire and evacuation plans in a particular form is essential. Certain information needs to be provided in a fire and evacuation plan, such as:

• Name and address of the property.
• Name, address, and contact numbers of both the owner and occupier of the property.
• The evacuation coordination process for the property.
• Complete evacuating instructions for the building as per the evacuation coordination procedure.
• Detailed guide in using the fire safety gadgets, especially those operated manually. 
• Process for instructing the property occupants on how to use the fire safety gadgets and ensuring that instructions are given appropriately and completely.

• Evacuation Signs And Diagrams

Evacuation signs and diagrams are important fire safety elements. They are responsible for guiding the residents through a correct path that corresponds with the exact direction of the evacuation route.

The building owner should have installed accurate evacuation signs and diagrams to lead the occupants in the event of emergencies. These signs and diagrams must be shown in a perceptible position at every evacuation path. 

• Means Of Escape From Buildings

According to real estate fire safety regulations, a building must have a way to travel from any area of the building to an exit leading towards a safe place outside. Also, a building should have proper fire door sets or windows for safe evacuation in an emergency situation. 

• Blocking

The occupants of the building should not place any object in the evacuation path that may restrict or delay the evacuation. Also, the evacuation doors must open completely without any barrier from objects like furniture or boxes, in the route of the door swing. 

Occupancy Limits For Buildings

For easy evacuation and less damage, the building must be occupied by a limited number of people. The occupancy limits depend on the property’s characteristics, such as:

• The type of building 
• The building’s use
• The number of exit doors 
• Prescribed fire safety equipment installation
• The free floor areas of the building
• Number of people who use or are want to use the building

Prescribed Fire Safety Installations

The landlord or building owner must consider the prescribed fire safety installations and testing frequency, as mentioned below:

1. Fire doorset with bi-annual and annual inspections
2. Fire extinguishers with bi-annual and yearly inspections
3. Emergency lighting and exit Signage with bi-annual and yearly inspections
4. Fire blankets with semi-annual and annual inspections
5. Fire sprinkler systems with monthly, bi-annual and yearly inspections
6. Fire hose reels with bi-annual and yearly inspections
7. Fire hydrants with bi-annual and annual Inspections
8. Occupant warning systems and fire alarm panels with monthly, bi-annual and annual inspections

These prescribed installations are important for every building owner/occupant, especially for high-rise buildings. 

Maintaining Prescribed Installations

Keeping the prescribed installations in good condition is an essential part of real estate fire safety regulations. Thereby, it requires servicing by certified fire safety technicians. The professionals maintaining the prescribed fire safety installations are obliged to preserve them and also report problems that might disturb the functionality of the gadgets.

Final Thoughts!

All regulations, mentioned above, are important in order to ensure the safest provisions for any real estate. A per the fire safety standards, every building owner must ensure that occupants can evacuate the building safely and easily if a fire occurs. Fire safety installations such as fire door screens play an important role in achieving the best fire safety provisions. The quality fire doors or screens can help prevent fire spread in other areas, as they can resist fire up to 30 mins. Right from windows, doors to a fire extinguisher, make sure you have all safety equipment in place.