Wildfires can spread quickly. If not properly contained, a single ember can become a vast blaze that destroys everything in its path. For commercial property owners, this can cause significant concern. Even businesses located far enough away from what they perceive as a high-risk area can still be subject to strong winds and airborne fire risks.
Whether it’s due to a natural disaster or a human error, wildfire season can be financially challenging. When it comes to wildfire season and commercial properties, knowing how fire watch services protect your assets is crucial. Here’s what all organizations with assets to protect should know about wildfire threats, their risks and how a professional service can help.
The Growing Wildfire Threat to Commercial Properties
The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is the area between unoccupied land and developed land. The WUI presents a tremendous risk to organizations and their commercial property. It’s an area that grows by two million acres each year, increasing the chances of damage and safety hazards.
These risks can lead to costly damage to property systems and structures. This has led many insurers to insist on additional security measures. One of these extra layers is having a commercial property fire watch service in place.
Understanding the Risks Commercial Properties Face
Assessing potential wildfire risks is an important part of preventing them. The National Centers for Environmental Information reported 10,541 wildfires last year. It’s important to understand where you can implement business wildfire safety measures. These measures include:
- Looking at areas where hot embers can be blown onto your roof space or enter through vents.
- Considering places where dry and dead leaves gather, such as gutters, and implementing regular cleaning.
- Assessing the most flammable areas of your commercial property (fuel load), such as cardboard, pallets and combustible liquids or gases.
- Checking infrastructure supports such as backup power and water pressure reliability in the event of a fire.
- Training staff and senior management on the processes and procedures of fire safety protocols.
Commercial properties may require “Hot Work” or repairs during the dry season. This includes torching, welding and cutting. Works of this nature should be done in an area with specialized fire safety systems in place. If tasks like this are done off-site, a hot work fire watch is needed to oversee and report any fire risks.
Early Detection Technologies and Modern Fire Watch
Commercial properties rely on fast, reactive technologies and human intelligence to work efficiently. This applies across anything from office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals or businesses. But how can modern fire detection technologies work with an experienced professional fire watch guard to reduce hazards and increase peace of mind?
- Thermal imaging: Modern fire watch guards can access thermal imaging cameras to detect heat pockets in walls and other areas that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
- Human senses: Guards can hear crackling or distant flames and smell smoke before any automated fire sensors are triggered. This provides an extra layer of security.
- NIMS integration: Professional fire watch guards use the National Incident Management System (NIMS) protocol. This ensures a smooth and simple handover to fire departments in the event of a wildfire.
- Visibility and safety: A commercial property needs wildfire protection that’s fast, well-planned, and visible. People who frequent your commercial property will feel safer knowing you use human guards and technology.
Modern asset management depends on a robust detection process. Combining the benefits of cutting-edge technology and specialized fire watch services is the cornerstone of successful business wildfire safety.
Creating a Commercial Defense Zone
A strong defense is the key to a safer wildfire season and commercial properties. It’s how fire watch services protect your assets. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety recommends creating up to a 5-foot buffer around your commercial building that’s free of mulch and plants.
Having an additional space of around 5-30 feet also helps to prevent fire from spreading. Regularly pruning trees and removing potential obstacles will create easier access for fire watch professionals or emergency vehicles in the event of a wildfire.
Ensuring Business Continuity
Asset protection, safety, and business continuity are the main priorities of a fire watch in wildfire season. Fire watch professionals are trained to assist in guiding staff through procedures that streamline response times and evacuations. This can include HVAC shutdown procedures that prevent smoke damage to expensive equipment, and red flag awareness to spot issues early.
Commercial property wildfire protection support will also include contingency plans. These contingency plans keep workflows operational where safe to do so, such as delivery truck access.
Insurance, Documentation, and Compliance
Compliance is currency these days. So is having concrete proof of processes. Proving that robust safety measures are in place can be the difference between a seamless insurance claim and a painful process. With a professional fire watch service, these matters can be resolved through:
- Proof of mitigation: Guards use fire-watch logs with detailed time and date information for each check. These are a huge benefit when proving that your commercial property is actively monitored.
- Business interruption: Many commercial property insurance policies include business interruption coverage, which can offset lost income and expenses from wildfires. Working with professionals who understand this add-on is critical.
- Regulatory compliance: A fire watch specialist team adheres to OSHA requirements for employee safety. This can also help your asset remain compliant with any national or local laws.
- Ease of documentation: Logs, reports, and other essential data can be delivered and stored via digital reporting tools. This ensures long-term compliance and streamlined information during wildfire season.
During wildfire season and for commercial properties, understanding how a fire watch service protects your assets can make a huge difference. If the unexpected happens, you’ll have implemented strong security and compliance measures to keep your assets and income flowing while reducing risk.
Commercial Property Wildfire Protection
Having a professional fire watch team during wildfire season is integral to preventing costly issues. It provides your asset with fast deployment and total compliance in stressful situations. A prevention plan should be in place before the first sign of smoke.
At National Firewatch, our dedicated team of fire watch security guards provides rapid deployments and 24/7 support. Our reputation and expertise have forged a national network that understands local certified needs while reducing fire risks for clients. We ensure assets comply with all applicable fire codes and notify all stakeholders when on-site risks increase.
Are you looking to protect your commercial property with a team that has over a decade of experience in private security? Be sure to contact us today for a seasonal standby quote and find out why so many organizations trust us to protect their assets.
