Smoke and fire alarms are designed to save lives. You want to install fire alarms in your business, but you want to educate yourself first about the best places to put them so you make the safest environment possible for everyone. Here are some tips for fire alarm placement in your building.

Hallways

Every hallway in your building should have a fire alarm in it, somewhere in the middle of hall areas so the alarm can be activated and heard effectively. If hallways are numerous or close to one another because your building is a cubicle style, then make sure to have at least one fire alarm in a single hallway on every floor.

Bathrooms

Bathroom areas should have a fire alarm placed in them. In the event someone is in a bathroom when the alarm goes off and they otherwise may not hear it right away, having a fire alarm close to these private areas will make sure everyone has the opportunity to hear the noise and go to safety.

Exits

Have a fire alarm with an accompanying flashing or blinking light attached to it placed in all normal and emergency exits in your building. The sound of a fire alarm can help guide people to safe exits and those who are hard of hearing can use the light to get to an exit. The lights also help to make exits more visible if there is smoke.

Break room

The break room should have both a fire alarm and a fire extinguisher. Any room that has a potential fire hazard, such as a stove or microwave, should have its own fire alarm.

Utility room

The utility or storage room should have a fire alarm, especially if you use this room as your main electrical source for the building. Make sure to check the fire alarm frequently so batteries are working.

Stairwells/elevator

Any area your employees and customers use to access the building, such as the staircases or elevators, should be equipped with fire alarms that go off simultaneously with other alarms elsewhere in the building. This way, even if they are not in the main part of the building where a fire is occurring, they can still be alerted to possible danger.

A fire alarm should be checked periodically by your security installation specialist or fire alarm service and tested for accuracy and functionality. Installing fire alarms correctly in your building will help save lives in the event of a fire emergency.