Understanding Fire Code Violations: Everything You Need To Know

In everyday situations, fire code violations can occur either due to negligence or a lack of awareness about their vitality and implications. On top of that, when your team and staff are given inadequate training on fire safety and following codes correctly, violation errors are prone. NFPA 1, the Fire Code, outlines all mandatory fire and life safety guidelines for public and property protection. These guidelines are essential to ensure that your property and occupant lives are given the highest priority in terms of safety and security. 

Some common areas of fire code violations that can put your and your loved ones’ lives at risk: 

Egress (Exits and Pathways)

A smooth egress involves everyone following proper rules during an emergency evacuation so that all individuals are safely out of the building in as little time as possible. Fire codes are enabled here to make sure that lives are not at stake because of the contributing panic and chaos that develop in such a situation. 

To ensure efficient egress, checking on your exit doors, vital signages, and obstructed pathways is imperative. Exits blocked by furniture or other objects, improperly marked exits and pathways, and cluttering of obstacles that hinder a quick evacuation.

Electrical (Wires and Circuits)

Your electrical units and their status can make the fire and its spread more severe. Focused attention should be given to your electrical configurations, wiring, and the connectivity system of the entire building. For instance, when too many devices are connected to one single circuit, it can cause overloading and potentially lead to an electrical fire. Similarly, overusing extension boards for longer periods of time has a high chance of overheating and overloading. 

Therefore, proper care and maintenance are indispensable for electrical appliances, their wiring, and connectivity systems. If faulty and corroded wires are found, adjustments should be made as quickly as possible to minimize the chances of reckless situations that can turn fatal. 

Alarm System (Appliances and Units) 

Your fire alarm units are your ultimate savior and guide during emergencies causing severe distress. Their purpose is to notify you at the right time, provide directions for a safe evacuation, alert all occupants simultaneously to avoid loss of lives, and enable quick preventive measures before extreme property damage occurs. 

However, the main issue arises when your fire alarm system is not operating correctly or at its maximum potential. The existence of non-functional units or inadequate appliances can delay the notification or emit no alerts. This can be highly troublesome and disastrous, considering the lives at stake and the destruction of assets in the area. This is why regular inspections and maintenance checks are critical to keep all your units under check and guarantee their functionality during sudden danger situations. 

Material Storage (Combustible and Volatile) 

The storage of flammable materials inside your establishment can cause extreme distress and potential dangers, as they can catch fire and spin a peaceful environment into a chaotic one. So, should we not keep any volatile substance like that in our establishments? Now, this can be impossible, depending on the type of establishment and its purpose. For instance, if you are the owner of an industrial establishment, your job facilitates keeping and storing combustible substances. In such situations, avoiding the storage of it is not an option. 

Hence, to mitigate such issues, you need to ensure that your volatile commodities are properly stored and away from ignition sources. Avoid reserving them all in one place, and remember to keep them segregated from the non-combustible materials. 

Overcrowding (Occupants and Objects) 

Before the construction of a new establishment begins, the occupancy type is decided beforehand. The structure and layout are determined by the number of occupants the building is trying to accommodate. The appropriate and applicable fire codes for the space are determined based on that. This is to avoid the crisis of overcrowding and creating a panic situation in times of egress, affecting the evacuation procedure further down the line. 

Therefore, allowing more people than the stipulated number is a major violation of the fire code as it endangers the lives of every individual present inside the building. Overcrowding can also lead to blockage of the exit doors and collisions in the pathways, which can hinder the evacuation process and result in a catastrophic situation for everyone.