The liability insurance costs associated with running a commercial property, whether it’s a business or a multi-unit residential rental, can be immense. Staying in compliance with all the rules and regulations associated with such operations is the key to avoiding litigation should an unexpected accident happen, especially when it comes to on-site fire safety equipment.
It doesn’t matter if your commercial operation gets by with a fire extinguisher and safety lights or has a huge fire suppression system in place; the fact is, it needs to be checked annually to ensure it’s fully operational and in compliance. Finding out your system isn’t functioning properly in an emergency situation is never a good thing.
That’s where Ryan Pope comes in. As owner of Motion Electric, Pope and his team spend a great deal of time providing top notch fire protection services to businesses and property managers.
“It could be a small gas station, a variety store, or a large commercial building,” said Pope, who established Motion Electric in 2011. “Anyone that has a fire extinguisher or emergency lighting system has to be tested annually.”
According to Pope, annual testing of extinguishers is a simple but necessary safety precaution required by law. Extinguishers have to be checked annually, while the chemicals have to replaced every six years and the bottles pressure tested every 12 years to ensure they maintain the necessary PSI for optimum performance. Failure to maintain fire extinguishers properly could have consequences.
“The fire department can come into a site and ask for records from the previous year that show your service schedule. They can issue you an order that typically gives you 30 days to comply. If you haven’t complied with the order, they can close you down or fine you.”
Besides providing a regular schedule of service for fire protection equipment and systems, Motion Electrical also sells and installs various types of large-scale fire alarm systems, including specially designed suppression systems for sensitive areas like computer server rooms.
“We can install a special suppression system that doesn’t use water in the event of a fire,” said Pope. “It will be a different kind of chemical and have a special suppression panel in the room. If the fire alarm goes off the sprinkler device will go off and dilute the room while removing oxygen from the air. This will put out the fire and not ruin the equipment.”
Motion Electric also services multi-unit residential buildings, checking equipment in hallways, access areas, and rental units to ensure the building is in compliance and all fire safety equipment is in prime working order. The cost of an annual checkup is certainly worth the money considering the safety it provides according to Pope.
“For a small building using an extinguisher and emergency lights it’s $125,” he said. “If it’s a larger system the price will be dependent on the size. We check the extinguisder and emergency lights, issue a report to you, identify any issues that are wrong or give you a clean report for your records.”
Make sure your property is fire safe. For more information, visit them online here.
This article was sponsored by Motion Electrical, Heating & Cooling Ltd., a 2023 EloraFergusToday Reader Favourite.