In Spring Our Fancy Turns to Thoughts of … Cleaning

My apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson for that headline, but now that spring has arrived our thoughts turn to cleaning—or they should turn to cleaning. I’m not just talking about your house, but your business too, especially fire and security systems.

As you sweep the last of salt and sand off the sidewalks or clear away dead lawn debris, think through what happened over the last year that could have impacted the effectiveness of your fire and security systems. Was your property landscaped? Did you add a canopy over the front door? Was the exterior power-washed? When was the last time you cleaned around computer equipment?

I have some time-tested recommendations on what fire and security issues to consider as you tackle spring cleaning.

Inside Clean-Up

• Carefully clean around low voltage, card access panels, computer wiring and mother boards.
• Gently clean and inspect sprinkler heads to make sure they are working.
  Have fire extinguishers inspected/tested or replaced

Outside Maintenance

• Check the FDC connections on your sprinkler systems. Birds sometimes build nests where caps are missing, which will make it difficult for fire departments to pump water if there’s a fire.
• Walk outside the building to be sure all the devices are operating.
  o Be sure the PIV valve was not damaged by a snowplow.
  o Did power washing break security cameras?
  o Be careful cleaning around security equipment.
  o Do the outside lights and motion detectors operate as they should?
• Look for debris on lawns that, if hit by lawnmowers, may damage security equipment, the building’s exterior, the lawnmower, and injure the operator.
• Be sure spring growth on trees, bushes and other landscaping is not blocking security views.
• Clean out areas where people may have stuffed garbage and debris or was blown there by wind.
• Check to see if dry sprinkler heads protecting canopies, decks and garage doors were compromised by snow or ice.
• Does outdoor equipment, such as ATVs, lawnmowers and golf carts, have fire extinguishers installed and do your people know how to use them? The same goes for trucks and vans. A small extinguisher can save $100k worth of equipment.

If you need further advice on spring cleaning, or if you’ve detected a problem with your security equipment, don’t hesitate to call Brothers Fire & Security. We’ll work with you to deal with any issues, so you’ll be confident that your business is protected for whatever the year holds.

About Brothers Fire & Security

As one of the premier providers of fire and security solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire and security needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money and stress. We provide fire protection systems, security systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, 24-7 monitoring, fire extinguishers, card access and kitchen hoods. And coming soon, our new Online Academy: Life Safety — Made Simple with eLearning courses designed to help you get and keep your staff trained and your business fire and security code compliant.