The Dangers of Skipping Fire Inspections: Prevention and Consequences…

Fire security systems play a crucial role in keeping you, your loved ones, and your properties safe from massive fires. And by installing these fire security systems, such as fire extinguishers, security alarms, emergency lighting, fire sprinklers, etc., you are making a significant step towards safety. In addition to installing fire safety measures, fire inspections should be performed at regular intervals. Continue reading to learn more about the importance of fire equipment inspection, the consequences of skipping fire inspections, and tips to prevent skipping fire inspections.

Why are Annual Fire Inspections Important?

Coming straight to the point, it is necessary to conduct fire inspections at regular intervals for you to stay on the safer side during fire emergencies. Installing fire safety systems alone won’t ensure one’s safety. 

The fire safety equipment could have rusted, expired, etc., resulting in the failure to suppress emergency fires. By performing a fire equipment inspection, the experts will sort out these issues and make certain that the system works perfectly fine. Benefits of a yearly or monthly inspection include:

• Identifying Potential Hazards – These inspections can be best considered a proactive measure to identify potential hazards and other hidden risks. Some of the most common potential sources of fire include faulty electrical wiring, blocked exits, improperly stored flammable materials, and other fire vulnerabilities.
• Ensuring Compliance with Fire Regulations – The fire emergency professionals will inspect your fire emergency equipment and check whether it is in compliance with the Ontario Fire Code and NFPA safety standards. Thus, you can make certain that any business or organisation of yours is in compliance with regulations, saving you from heavy fines later.
• Enhanced Safety – By inspecting and finding faults with the installation of fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, fire sprinklers, smoke detectors, etc., expert personnel will improve your safety and rectify potential hazards. Thus, enhancing your safety and giving you peace of mind from hidden dangers and heavy insurance fines. 

In addition to the benefits mentioned, annual inspections can help you greatly reduce the risks of injuries and deaths and also save a huge amount on insurance premiums. By installing and inspecting the fire safety measures at regular intervals, huge fires can be prevented from complete destruction of your property. 

As per the reports of the Office of the Fire Marshal in Ontario, about 70 to 104 deaths happen each year due to house fires and other fire emergencies. Therefore, fire inspections are a must and should be done each year without fail.

What are the Consequences of Skipping Fire Inspections?

What happens if fire inspections are not performed? Don’t panic about skipping your fire inspections and neglecting the fire code. Because the fire inspection can be rescheduled for the next month. However, skipping the fire inspection is violating the fire codes. The following is a list of consequences for skipping fire inspections:

• Increased Risk of Fire – The first and foremost consequence of skipping fire inspection would be an increased risk of big fires due to undetected fire hazards. This in turn reduces your safety and causes huge repair costs on your property.
• Violation of Fire Safety Regulations – Being a citizen of a country, you ought to follow a list of fire safety regulations and codes made for the safety and goodness of our society. Fire inspection is one of the items on this list of regulations that should be done at regular time intervals. Skipping the fire inspection could, therefore, result in legal penalties.
• Increased Insurance Premiums – Most insurance companies look for fire inspection reports and others in order to check the fire risk associated with your property. In the event of skipping them, it could be seen as increasing property risk, leading to increased insurance premiums. This could even lead to difficulty obtaining insurance coverage.
• Litigation – As mentioned, neglecting fire inspections goes against the fire safety regulations of a country. Since fire breaks are likely to affect your neighborhood causing public and private property damage, the property owners could face legal action and consequences against them. Furthermore, in the event of fire emergencies, potential lawsuits could seek compensation for property damage, loss of life, and more. Thus, you are adding litigation risk to the other consequences of skipping fire inspections.
• Property Damages – By failing to comply with fire safety measures and skipping fire inspections, you are taking on increased fire risks. Potential fire hazards could cause heavy damage to your property, endanger a number of lives, and more. Property damages are another serious issue for which you will have to spend a lot on repairing and getting it back to its original state.

Preventing Fire Inspections from Being Skipped

Fire emergencies and their impacts can be quite huge, claiming the lives of your loved ones. And to greatly reduce this risk of losing lives and save huge amounts on repair costs and insurance premiums, it is highly recommended to conduct fire inspections on a regular basis. 

Some tips to avoid skipping fire inspections include marking your calendars and being aware of the dates. In case you forget them, you could check them online. Another tip to remember for your fire inspection date would be to have a clear idea about the consequences of skipping fire inspections. 

Moreover, it is important to keep everything documented, including the dates of fire inspections performed and a report of the same.

Fireproof Your Properties and Ensure Safety with TASfire

After delving into the cons of skipping inspections, you are now aware of how dangerous these undetected fire hazards could be. By neglecting them, you will be exposed to a number of consequences. With regard to this, TAS Fire Protection provides you with comprehensive solutions for inspecting and installing fire emergency systems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How often should fires be checked? As per NFPA 72 and fire safety standards, it is necessary to perform fire inspections on an annual or monthly basis. This, in turn, lets you find potential hazards and ensure the smooth working of the same.
• Why do we need fire safety inspections? Fire inspections are conducted to identify any shortcomings in your fire safety measures and hence minimize the risk of fire-related incidents, such as losing lives while reducing repair costs on your damaged property.
• Is it mandatory to do a fire inspection? Yes. It is mandatory to perform inspections on a regular basis to comply with fire safety regulations and prevent fires from spreading.

Contact Us (905-870-7779) for a Free Consultation!

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About TAS Fire Protection

TAS Fire Protection offers comprehensive and cutting-edge fire, security, and electrical services to clients with residential, commercial, industrial, or high-rise properties. Our team of highly skilled professionals has years of experience in installing, maintaining, and inspecting fire, security, and electrical systems and equipment.
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