5-Minute Guide to Commercial Property Protection - The Top-10 Ways a Business Can Assist Their Fire Department

Intended Audience:

Business Owners, Managers & Facility Maintenance Personnel. 

Why This is Important:

• There are around 100,00-commercial building fires in the U.S. annually.

• The number of these fires has increase about 19% over the last 10-years.

• These fires result in around 68-fatalities & 5,600-injures per year.

• Annual commercial fire losses run at about $2.3-Billion.

• The average fire department response time for is between 6 to 7-minutes.

• With every minute of delayed response time the size of the fire can double.

By the Latest Count, There are Nearly 26,500 Fire Departments in the U.S. Broken Down as Follows:

• Volunteer = 64%

• Mostly Volunteer = 14%

• Mostly Professional = 7%

• Professional = 7%

• Industrial, Private, Airport, etc. = 4%

Firefighter Statistics

• Total U.S. firefighting count = 1,207,000

• Average age = 40 for a professional & 48 for a volunteer 

• Gender = 94% men 

• Average retirement age = 57

• Average annual number of line-of-duty deaths = 70

• Leading cause of line-of-duty deaths = Cardiovascular event

• Average firefighter lifespan = 1 to 10-years less than the U.S. average

The Top-10 Ways a Business can Assist a Fire Department Before a Fire:

• Ask the fire department to conduct a pre-fire familiarization tour.

• Have a building street # that is easily readable from street level at night.

• Clearly mark shutoff controls to gas, water & electrical systems.

• Keep fire lanes, fire hydrants & fire department connections unobstructed.

• Maintain a list of all hazardous chemicals & flammable/combustible liquids.

• Keep all fire protection systems operational & in good working order.

• Have a fire department contact available 24/7 who has a building diagram.

• Conduct & document regular facility-wide fire inspections.

• Regularly train employees on fire safety & building emergency evacuations.

• Post emergency numbers near phones & instruct personnel on what to say.

Top-10 Best Practices for Good Fire Department Relationships:

• Participate in fire department community outreach programs.

• Publicly recognize & support local fire departments through social media posts.

• Organize or participate in community appreciation events.

• Recognize employees who are volunteers firefighters.

• Be an advocate for adequate fire department funding & legislation.

• Make cash donation when allowed.

• In lieu of cash donations, give equipment or supplies like bottled water.

• Donate resources or space for firefighter training.

• Support fire department efforts to improve their ISO protection class rating.

• Recognize local fire departments & firefighters in corporate publications.

For Additional Information or questions on this Subject, Contact Centurion’s Loss Control Manager, Rob Brooks, at:

(606)434-0739

[email protected]

Disclaimer:

• This publication is intended for general educational purposes only, and is not to be considered as business, financial or legal advice.

• Readers should consult with appropriate professionals before making any decisions based on the content of this newsletter.

• Some of the data &/or statistics referenced within were obtained using artificial intelligence.

• Centurion Insurance Services and the writer make no guarantees or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the reliability, completeness or suitability of the information contained herein.

• We will not be liable for any losses or damages arising from the use of the information provided.