Extinguish fire safety worries

Are your extinguishers properly placed and inspected—or do you need them at all?

Under OSHA's Fire Protection Standard, if you have both a written emergency action plan and a written fire prevention plan that requires employees to sound the alarm and immediately evacuate the area, then portable fire extinguishers may not be required in your workplace. That may sound like a great way to save money, but it may not be quite that easy.

Some specific standards—like OSHA's rules regulating the use of ethylene oxide, a gas used to sterilize delicate instruments in medical facilities—do require fire extinguishers. And many local fire codes require portable fire extinguishers in any commercial building.

Let's not forget: Portable fire extinguishers are vital life and property savers that can prevent small, early-stage fires from becoming major ones. I recommend you buy them. The dry chemical type is the most effective, but in recent years carbon dioxide extinguishers—which don't leave residue that can damage electronics and computer equipment—are increasingly popular.

Follow these protocols for placing and maintaining your own clinic's portable fire extinguishers:

• Place them plentifully and strategically so that a person is never more than a 75-foot walk from an extinguisher anywhere in the practice.

• Locate them near exits whenever possible to minimize the chances of the fire getting between the extinguisher and the exit.

• Mount them on the wall between 32 and 48 inches from the floor and make sure they're easily visible. It's better not to store a fire extinguisher inside a cabinet or closet. If you do put it in a cabinet, identify its location with a sign that's clearly visible from at least 50 feet away.

• Have a qualified service company inspect each fire extinguisher once a year and hydrostatically test each extinguisher every six years.

• Each month, have a designated staff member ensure that 1) all fire extinguishers are where they're supposed to be, 2) they have no obvious damage or leaks, and 3) when they're equipped, the pressure gauge indicates proper charging.

Sprinkle, sprinkle, little fire

OSHA doesn't require automatic sprinkler systems in most veterinary practices. However, many municipalities require automatic sprinkler systems in commercial buildings. Existing facilities are often grandfathered into the rules, but you'll need to comply with current fire or building code if you renovate or add on.

If you do have a sprinkler system in place, there are a few maintenance and testing requirements, usually in local fire codes, worth noting. One basic rule: Materials and furnishings should always be at least 18 inches away from any sprinkler head. Your local fire marshal is your best source for complete compliance guidelines and assistance.

You should hand off maintenance and testing of the sprinkler system to an outside company rather than handle it yourself. For facilities that share a common sprinkler system with other businesses—in shopping centers, for example—the facility owner often arranges for the checks. But it's still the business owner's responsibility to ensure they occur.

Considering all the benefits of sprinkler and fire extinguisher systems, they're a bargain for the cost. But they do require periodic checks to guarantee they'll be working if—or when—they're needed.

Philip Seibert, CVT, is an author, speaker, and consultant with Veterinary Practice Consultants in Calhoun, Tenn. Send questions or comments to ve@advanstar.com