How Fire Damage Can Affect Office Buildings

12/1/2021 (Permalink)

Fire can cause devastation in any environment where it gets out of control, especially commercial establishments since office building fire damage can impact both the company as a whole as well as its employees. Below are some ways in which office building fire damage can adversely affect businesses and how it can be avoided.

Downtime and Financial Losses

Most businesses are small to medium in size and contained within a single building. If a fire breaks out in that location, their operations will be severely disrupted and for startups without significant funds or insurance the damage could be irreversible. Without steady revenues employees will have to be laid off while the owner attempts to find a new location if possible.

Large corporations often have multiple branches or headquarters around the country or world which makes them largely impervious to fire damage. For example, a retail store or restaurant chain with dozens or hundreds of locations will only be minimally impacted by the outbreak of fire and neither their revenue nor stock price will fall by much. Smaller operations by comparison don’t have this luxury.

Data Loss

Even the smallest businesses in most developed countries today depend on computers and the internet. Computers contain hard drives, operating systems and data bases which allow critical company data to be stored, and it isn’t unusual for medium to large companies to use server farms.

Certain industries such as the manufacturing sector are dependent on software to perform essential automated tasks, and most retail stores and supermarkets use software to manage their large inventory. Finally, there are self-employed entrepreneurs who depend heavily on their computers to run software that allows them to create animations, simulations or renderings that can be used in a variety of different projects. Fire is therefore a serious threat because it can cause the loss of critical or sensitive data that may never be recovered, which can permanently damage an organizations ability to function.

Particle Ionization

When it comes to fire, people have a tendency to focus on the flames rather than the smoke, which is just as dangerous. Not only does inhalation pose a hazard to any company personnel who are onsite during the fire outbreak, but the smoke particles will become ionized and develop electric charges that will adhere to some surfaces, such as nails, plastics and any office furnishings which are manmade like vinyl, which will cause permanent staining.

How To Prevent Fire Damage in Office Buildings

The first step in protecting your business from fire damage is to have great insurance coverage. Insurance carriers differ widely when it comes to their dependability and some are frustrating to deal with. You’ll need to show evidence of the damage and the goods that were destroyed.

The second step is to operate in buildings which have natural resistance to fire and have at least one working fire extinguisher on site at all times. Annually inspect wiring or other sources that could cause a fire and store critical company documents and files in a safe that is fire proof. Using laptops rather than desktop computers allows staff on site to rapidly unplug and carry them outdoors during an emergency.