Moving Towards Normal: Fire and Security Tips for Churches and Businesses

It’s been over 10 weeks since Minnesota went into the COVID-19 “Safe at Home” mode for non-essential services. During the past month restrictions have been loosened for industrial and office-based settings, retail, places of worship, personal care services and outside services at restaurants.

To re-open, all businesses must meet safety protocol, such as:

• Adopt and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, including social distancing guidelines for workers and customers.
• Use of masks or face shields.
• Maintain specified occupant capacity or limit number of clients inside to ensure six feet of distance between people except when providing services.
• When possible, see clients by appointment only; do not allow walk-ins

Fire and Security Safety Protocols

While your re-opening plan includes carefully developed protocols for health and medical well-being, does it include fire and security safety protocols? Here are considerations that I developed for places of worship and other businesses.

• A lot of churches and older buildings don’t have sprinkler systems. This adds risk to people and property in case of a fire. Consider installing a sprinkler system.
• What has changed over the past 10 weeks?
• What was the original design strategy and blueprint for your buildings and what fire and security protocol are in place or missing?
• Are all the devices that are part of your critical infrastructure current since you’ve been away for 10+ weeks?
• Are the exit lights in good working order?
• Are the heat and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers fully operational?
• Is your card access or door control system updated for your current or modified hours of operations and current staff and levels of access needed?
• Has your staff changed and is your current staff cross-trained on fire, safety, and evacuation plans?
• Are there new employees in new roles or the same people in different roles?
• Does your current staff know where all the fire extinguishers are in the building and trained how to operate them?
• Is your evacuation plan and protocol current or does it need to change based on reduced occupants, and eventually, increased occupants as more people attend on site?

Review Your Vendors

Now is a critical time to take a look at your vendors to ultimately lower your risk and increase profits. If you can reduce the number of vendors who access your buildings by consolidating vendors, this can help to keep your employees, patrons, and vendors safer. Brothers Fire & Security offers integrated bundled services for safety services, annual inspections and more that can save 25-30% on your fire and security expenses.

Not sure where you stand with your vendors? Schedule a FREE vendor review and we’ll show you the savings! Not sure where you stand with fire and security safety protocols? No problem! Give us a call and we’ll get your systems organized to serve your current needs. Our team at Brothers Fire & Security wish you success and good health as you go back to worship and work.

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.