How a Fire Suppression System Can Save Your Business

If you own any type of business, it’s critical that you take steps to protect it and anyone on your properties from various hazards. For example, fires can start almost anywhere. Thus, regardless of your industry, it’s smart to install modern fire suppression systems throughout all your business’ properties.

A fire can harm your business in many ways. Some are obvious, while others may be less so. 

This brief overview will highlight some of the more noteworthy ways a fire suppression system can potentially “save” your business. Effective fire prevention and suppression equipment guards against such consequences as:

Loss of files or data

Depending on where a fire starts, it could destroy some of your business files, data, or even inventory. It may also cause costly property damage.

Loss of files and data can often interrupt any business’ operations. It might strain a business’ relationship with its clients as well.

For example, perhaps a fire occurred at your business that impacted your ability to serve a client to the best of your ability. Maybe the fire destroyed files related to a client’s projects, or maybe it simply slowed down your productivity, preventing you from completing work for a client as efficiently as you typically might.

This can permanently alter how a client feels about your business. If they come to believe these interruptions should have been avoided, but weren’t because you didn’t take basic safety steps, they might not be inclined to work with you again.

That doesn’t need to happen. Install a fire suppression system to prevent such challenges.

Reputation damage

Maybe your business doesn’t have clients. Maybe your business is one that serves numerous customers on a day-to-day basis, like a retail store or restaurant.

Still, if a fire were to spread on your property, causing more damage or harm than it might have had you installed fire suppression systems, customers may no longer believe you run a safe and professional operation. Recovering from damage to your business’ reputation after a preventable fire may be very challenging. Once more, this is a consequence you can take easy steps to avoid.

Lawsuits

You should protect those on your business’ property from being injured or killed in a fire simply because it’s the ethical thing to do. That said, you should also remember that if someone is injured on your property, and it can be shown that installing proper fire safety equipment might have prevented them from being harmed, there’s a good chance they’ll file a claim or lawsuit. 

Under premises liability laws, property owners, managers, and those who have similar responsibilities (such as business owners) have a duty to take reasonable steps to minimize hazards on their properties. An injured party and/or their attorney could potentially argue that not installing fire suppression systems represents a failure to take such reasonable steps.

Unnecessary costs

It’s worth noting that installing fire safety equipment throughout your business’ properties could also help you avoid spending more than you have to on various business expenses. For example, sometimes installing fire safety systems qualifies a business for tax breaks. Insurers often lower their rates for business owners who prioritize safety.

The main point to remember is that a fire can cause lasting damage to your business. That’s not meant to worry you! It’s simply meant to remind you of all the reasons investing in a fire suppression system for your business is a very wise idea.