Whether you work in a commercial or industrial business site, an aged care facility, or childcare centre, there are precautions you can take to minimise the risk of fire breaking out and spreading across your site.
In dry, scorching summer heat, fires can start abruptly and cause significant and devastating damage to your property. It is worth taking the time to ensure your business is adequately prepared for fire season.
Minimising fire risk
The biggest risk of fire outbreak is dry overgrown grass and bush. Once ignited, dry grass is a super fuel for fast spreading fire which can quickly engulf its surrounds, as we are seeing occur drastically in New South Wales and Queensland at present.
The best way to minimise fire risk to your property is to ensure:
- No excessive dry or dead vegetation is on your property
- Your flammable or burnable material is stored properly
- Your building maintenance is up to date
Your action list should include:
- Trimming low-lying branches (under 2m in height)
- Keeping grass regularly cut (no long grass)
- Removing excess combustible materials, such as dry grass and dead leaves, undergrowth and branches
- Ensuring damaged roofing is repaired and gaps are sealed
- Keeping your gutters free of leaves and build-up
- Moving flammable items, such as wood piles, boxes, crates and garden furniture well away from your building
If you require assistance with your building maintenance and outdoor environment we can help.
Contact us to book a garden clean-up.
Getting a Professional Assessment
In addition to ensuring your garden and building is maintained properly, it is worth having a Fire Audit conducted to identify other hazards you may not have been aware of.
Fire Audits are generally provided as part of an overall Site Audit and cover internal and external hazards on your property. They are conducted by qualified building inspectors who know what to look for.
Creating an Emergency Management Plan
In the case of a fire, or other disasters that can occur, it is important to have an up to date Emergency Management Plan that your employees, residents and visitors are familiar with and can easily access.
Your plan should consider:
- Local emergency planning, including who the emergency contact is & meeting points
- Immediate communication strategy to family members and related service providers
- Post-event communication strategy to clients and stakeholders
Avoid fire hazards on your property. Contact us today at helpdesk@cmbm.com.au or on 1800 26 26 37 to book a Site Garden Clean-Up and/or Site Audit.
