It was a long couple of days in elementary classrooms across the midwest. Just as the temperatures were warming up and the rains were stopping, children across the state of Nebraska had to stay inside for recess. In addition, on one of the days all afternoon outdoor athletic practices had been cancelled as well. Smoke from controlled burns in the state of Kansas had made their way north and had threatened the air quality for young children, older adults, and anyone with respiratory issues. To error on the side of safety, the area superintendents decided that children in the largest school districts in Nebraska had to remain inside.
Barely ten days later, many throughout the state of Nebraska woke up to a strange morning haze. Not quite fog, the haze was difficult to understand. As the day wore on the atmosphere appeared to dim and become more an more hazy. This too ended up being the result of smoke. This time, however, large uncontrolled Canadian fires that were forcing evacuations in that country had drifted far south into the state of Nebraska.
In less than two weeks, these midwest residents found themselves staying inside to avoid the smoke from fires hundreds of miles away. A common concern was, “how bad must the smoke be at the scene of the fires it the smoke can be a problem this many miles away?”
While residents across the midwestern part of America were concerned about smoke from distant fires, the talk of fire protection services became frequent and popular topics. Although these hazy conditions were caused by outdoor fires, smoke of any kind can make every home and business owner even more aware of the kinds of fire protection services that are in place in their homes, their schools, their churches, and their favorite hotels when they travel.
Fire Protection Services Help Keep People and Buildings Safe
Every residence and every business should be concerned about fire prevention. Fire protection companies specialize in the installation of fire sprinkler systems, as well as commercial fire alarms. In fact, the final part of any building process involves close inspection of the installation and placement of these systems. Without the proper fire inspection papers, no business can even open. Working with companies that specialize in fire protection services is essential. Their advice early in the building or remodeling process can help your business follow the proper codes from the beginning. Businesses that wait too long into the building process sometimes find out that expensive modifications are needed in order to pass inspection.
Consider the following statistics from the National Fire Protection Association about the danger of fires to further understand the importance of fire protection services:

• 15 deaths and 150 injuries are caused by hotel and motel fires every year.
• $76 million in property loss is caused by hotel and motel fires every year.
• Between the years 2006 and 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 6,240 structure fires in or on health care properties a year.
• 55% of medical facility fires are caused by confined cooking fires.
• 19% of non-confined fires in hospitals are caused by electrical malfunction.
• 44% of dry, or possibly wet, chemical system failures are attributed to lack of maintenance.

Are You Doing Everything That You Can to Keep Your Employees and Customers Safe?
Hospitals are a perfect examples of locations that are required by law to follow strict fire codes. Additionally, restaurants, schools, manufacturing plants, and any kind of business must work carefully with fire inspection officials to make sure that they have a safe structure that is properly equipped with the necessary sprinkler and alarm systems.
In addition to the proper installation of the required fire safety equipment, these locations should also have fire evacuation plans in place. These plans should be posted and employees should be informed of what the evacuation plans are. Practicing fire safety drills periodically can help ensure that both employees and staff know what to do in case of a fire. Workers who feel that they are not properly protected from fire hazards should work with managers to see that the necessary precautions are put into place.
Companies that care about their employees follow the required state and federal guidelines to ensure a safe work environment.