Going back to school looks more normal this year as we start to put COVID behind us. After months of online or hybrid learning, most schools are gearing up for all in-person classes. Teachers are preparing lesson plans, facilities teams are on-site, parents and kids are shopping for school supplies, and after-school activities and sporting events are ramping up.
Not to be overlooked in back-to-school preparations are the life safety, fire and security systems that have been closed off or dormant for over a year. Getting systems up to code is required. Now’s the time to have them inspected, repaired as needed, and certified before students, faculty and staff fill the hallways and classrooms.
Systems Checklist
After such a long stretch of downtime, there’s a lot to inspect, repair and certify in your life safety, fire and security systems. I put together a list to guide you through the process.
Emergency Safety Plans
- Is your plan up to date?
- Do you have the right people responsible during all shifts and are they trained?
- Are there additional areas of consideration to add to your safety plan to best protect all people and buildings?
Staff Training
- Is your current staff fully trained to handle an emergency?
- Do they know how to effectively use fire extinguishers?
- What training is needed for new hires?
Hand Sanitation Stations
It’s likely the stations will remain a must-have wall fixture for the foreseeable future. They should be conveniently placed throughout school buildings with instructions posted for student and staff use. Brothers Fire & Security is partnering with Everest Microbial Defense to offer 24 Hour Defense™ Hand Purifier. One application safely kills 99.99% of germs on hands and prevents re-contamination for up to 24 hours.
Security Cameras
Test your cameras and equipment to make sure they are:
- In good working order.
- Covering the right areas.
- Connected to monitoring service with the coverage needed, including parking lots, hallways, entrances, administration offices, gymnasiums and outdoor areas.
Access Control Panels
- Only current staff should have access.
- Check hours and days of operation, including school holidays.
Fire Extinguishers
Inspections, maintenance or replacement should be completed as needed and extinguishers tagged.
Kitchen Hoods
It’s been a long time since lunchrooms were open. Have hoods been cleaned, inspected and certified?
Fire Alarm and Suppression Systems
Are they due for inspections or maintenance?
Data Cabling
Evaluate your IT system to make sure you’re getting the best out of your cabling.
Emergency Lights (eLights)
Take a walk through all the buildings to see what lighting needs to be inspected, tested, repaired as needed, and certified.
Life Safety Made Simple
The Do It Yourself (DIY) trend is rapidly growing, including in schools. To assist our clients, we are creating online courses on our Life Safety Made Simple platform to address the DIY trend. We provide industry best practices and train employees with certification for life safety systems. Courses meet OSHA compliance requirements for staff without travel, can lower training costs, and increase successful compliance ratios.
I encourage you to consider adding these courses to your employee training and teacher in-service schedules. After all, we’re never too old to learn, right?
- How to Effectively Use Fire Extinguishers
- How to Build An Effective Safety Plan
- Know Your Life Safety Equipment
- Emergency Lights: Inspections & Certification
As you head back to the classroom this fall, Brothers Fire & Security can help with all your fire and security systems’ inspections, maintenance and certifications. Our mission is all about Life Safety Made Simple and we’re here when you need us. Call us at 800-607-2767.
About Brothers Fire & Security
As one of the premier providers of fire and security solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire and security needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money, and stress. We provide fire protection systems, security systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, 24-7 monitoring, fire extinguishers, card access and kitchen hoods. We also provide our Online Academy: Life Safety — Made Simple with eLearning courses designed to help you get and keep your staff trained and your business fire and security code compliant.