Who remembers sitting through countless fire safety presentations at school? I don’t know about you, but we can still recall sitting in a semi-circle and listening to a friendly firefighter talk about the importance of creating an evacuation plan. The visits from Sparky the Fire Dog were undoubtedly an exciting break in the school day; however, even now as adults, we believe that fire education is essential to discuss.

For those who may not know, this week, October 6th through October 12th, is National Fire Prevention Week. Every October, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) promotes fire prevention and shares safety tips and tricks. While we don’t have the skill set to fight a fiery blaze, as an experienced property management company, we too promote the importance of proper fire prevention and safety, which is why we thought that now was the perfect time to share some of our key insights.

A property fire can be devastating in many ways. When a fire starts in a residential or commercial building, there is an immediate potential loss for the building itself, tenant property, financial assets, and in worse-case scenarios, life. We don’t share this fact to scare you but rather to stress the importance of prevention and safety procedures.

While there are many ways to minimize your exposure to fire, we wanted to chat about the importance of conducting regular fire and safety inspections at your property. Below is a short, yet useful, to-do list that is perfect for tenants and owners to follow.

• Consider purchasing rental insurance to protect your personal belongings and provide temporary housing assistance.
• Make sure every unit, room, and common area has working fire and smoke alarms in all required areas.
• Keep an eye out for flammable materials near heaters and faulty wiring.
• Remove lint build up from dryer vents after every cycle.
• Ask your property manager for the most recent date your property’s heating system was inspected.
• Check all heating sources, especially electric space heaters and baseboards.
• Ensure your kitchen has a working fire extinguisher.
• Encourage your fellow tenants to report issues and communicate to your property management company regularly.
• Ask that your property management partner display and communicate important fire safety information.

As you can see, the tenants that make up your shared home or office building hold most of the responsibility when it comes to fire prevention and safety. However, it is just as crucial that your property management company inform you and your residents how to prevent a fire from happening in the first place, and what to do in the event of a disaster.

So, if you feel that your current property management team is not doing everything they can to set you and your building up for success, now may be the time to switch. Our team is available to assist you with everything from identifying potential fire hazards to managing critical maintenance repairs, communicating with your tenants, purchasing insurance, and implementing new building rules. To begin the process or to learn more about our services, give us a call today at 617-600-6355 or send us an email.