Buildings Fire Safety Code for Bar Owners in Florida

If you’re planning to open a business in Florida or are already running one, you’re probably familiar with a bunch of safety codes that need to be fulfilled in order to get the proper licenses. In case you’re not familiar with the conditions, take a moment and check out some of the points we’ve made in this article because they can come in handy for people who haven’t read through the legislation and requirements.

It’s important to keep in mind that the things we’ve mentioned aren’t strict rules per se, but rather a list of useful advice and tips on how to prepare for inspection, and on top of that – how to conduct preventive maintenance in your bar so that you can avoid unpleasant scenarios.

Preventive Measures for Bar Owners

Here are a few things you should do in order to decrease the risks:

• Schedule Regular Maintenance of Electrical Equipment

While electricity is a priceless resource without which no establishment could function, it’s also a potential safety hazard that should be taken quite seriously. Not only is it dangerous because of its inherent features, but it also has a potential of lighting something on fire within mere seconds, especially when installations aren’t done properly.

Therefore, the best course of action you can take to minimize the risks is to schedule regular maintenance of your equipment and keep everything at the highest standards.

• Install an Automatic Fire-Suppression System

Some of the recent studies show that more than 55% of restaurant fires involve cooking equipment followed by heating equipment, faulty electrical installations, and smoking materials. It’s crucial for every business to have an automatic fire-suppression system because it greatly decreases both the risk and consequences of sudden fires.

These systems work on a pretty simple principle – they automatically dispense certain fire-suppressing chemicals after they shut down the electric supply. On top of that, the vast majority of them feature a manual switch in case of emergency or when the automatic system fails.

• Keep Portable Fire Extinguishers Handy

In case you have a kitchen in your bar, you’ll have to keep Class K extinguishers at reach as a backup solution once the built-in automatic system is activated. According to the fire safety code for buildings, every business that deals with grease, fats, and oil should have Class K extinguishers in the kitchen. The Class ABC extinguishers should be kept elsewhere for different types of fires that include paper, wood, and plastic.

Train Your Staff to React Accordingly

Many people think they know how to deal with a sudden fire, but the reality is that most of them wouldn’t know how to deal with it appropriately. For example, the first thing most people instinctively do is reach for water and toss it into grease, which can cause the grease to splatter and potentially harm someone.

Here are some things you should tell your staff:

• Keep It Clean

Cleaning the kitchen thoroughly can be incredibly helpful when it comes to fire prevention, especially if you’re dealing with a lot of grease. Grease can turn into a real fire hazard if it gets neglected long enough. Therefore, walls, work surfaces, and exhaust hoods should be kept immaculately clean at all times.

• Make Sure Your Staff Knows How To Handle An Emergency

As we’ve mentioned, not many people know how to handle an emergency properly. Some of them might panic while others may cause even more harm by handling things incorrectly. To prevent such scenarios, you should either train them to handle emergencies correctly or hire an expert to train them.

If you’re curious to find out more about certain codes, legislation, and licenses in Florida, don’t hesitate to check some of our other articles as we’ve covered a lot of ground when it comes to helping our readers with comprehensive explanations of specific laws and requirements.