Total Fire & Safety Blog

Halloween Safety Tips for Residential Buildings
October 24, 2014 by Total Fire and Safety
Halloween is upon us, and although we don’t light jack o’lanterns or don flammable costumes in our offices, it’s important for owners of residential buildings to be somewhat prepared for this fire prone holiday.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, decorations start more than 1,000 home fires per year. From 2006-2010, these fires caused an estimated average of six civilian deaths, 53 civilian injuries, and $16 million in direct property damage per year. For owners of residential buildings and their tenants, there are many good tips on Halloween fire prevention available from NFPA’s Halloween Safety Tip Sheet. It’s information worth passing on to your residents so they stay safe this holiday.

What can owners of residential buildings do to prepare for Halloween?

Fire Alarms in Residential Buildings

Make sure your fire alarms, including your wireless fire alarm monitoring systems, are in working order and in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72, which provides the latest safety provisions to meet society’s changing fire detection, signaling, and emergency communications demands.

Fire Extinguishers in Residential Buildings

When is the last time you had your fire extinguishers inspected? NFPA 10 states that all portable fire extinguishers should be inspected on a monthly basis and maintained by a licensed fire protection company on an annual basis. Total Fire & Safety performs a multi-point check on all portable fire extinguishers:

*Visual Examination for dents, rust, corrosion, pitting or other shell damage

*Test/Maintenance History to determine the need for internal maintenance or hydrostatic testing

*Pressure Gauge check to insure proper pressurization

*Weight check to verify the correct amount of extinguishing agent

*Discharge Hose inspected for blockage or damage

*Locking Pin inspected so it can be easily deployed in an emergency

*Handle/Lever checked for smooth discharge operation

*Cleaning using a degreasing solution

*Inspection Certification documented by attaching a safety flag and service tag

*Mounting Bracket checked for proper installation on mounting hook or bracket

*Hazard Application reviewed so the fire extinguisher is the correct type for potential fire hazards

Residential Sprinkler Systems

In the event of a fire, the sprinkler systems are critical. Make sure they are recently inspected and ready to go in compliance with NFPA 25-2002. Total Fire & Safety does a comprehensive check of residential sprinkler systems, including inspection of functionality, control valves, and electric alarm operation.

If you own a residential building, be sure your fire safety is up to standard this Halloween. If you need assistance, feel free to call Total Fire & Safety at 630.960.5060.

Category: Fire Alarm Monitoring, Fire Safety, Uncategorized Tags: fire and safety equipment, fire and safety needs, firesafety, holiday fire safety, holiday safety, safety | Comments Off on Halloween Safety Tips for Residential Buildings
Total Fire & Safety Helping Downers Grove with Wireless Launch
September 26, 2014 by Total Fire and Safety
Total Fire & Safety has completed its installation of the wireless fire alarm monitoring system at the Village Operations Center (VOC) for the Village of Downers Grove. By now, most Downers Grove businesses have received a letter like the one shown below, informing them of the new system and encouraging them to come on board with wireless fire alarm monitoring. The benefits of wireless fire alarm monitoring are many and far outweigh the increased cost of monitoring services. For businesses, the biggest cost saving is the elimination of land lines that can amount to a 70% cost reduction annually in monitoring related service fees.

OTHER FIRE PROTECTION PROVIDERS…..

AES 7744/7788F Transmitter

As a business in Downers Grove, you can contract with any fire protection services provider, however their equipment must be in compliance with the VOC and programmed through Total Fire & Safety. Total Fire & Safety is maintaining the wireless network for the Village, and is therefore in charge of making sure all radios and wireless equipment are programmed correctly and seamlessly connected to the VOC.

The chosen radio unit for the businesses in Downers Grove is the model shown here, the AES Corporation 7744/7788F transmitter. Again, all transmitters, whether purchased through Total Fire & Safety, directly from AES, or through your fire protection provider, must be programmed through Total Fire & Safety.

Total Fire has already held information sessions with other area fire protection services to introduce the new system and review operating regulations and compliance issues with the VOC. If you have a fire protection service provider OTHER than Total Fire & Safety, they should make sure they are in compliance with the VOC specifications and contact Total Fire & Safety for their programming needs.

This is all discussed in the letter below, that they should have received recently from the Downer Grove VOC:

If you have any questions concerning installation or programming, please contact Jeff Buff, Total Fire & Safety at (630) 960-5060 ext. 121 or click here to contact us and use the promo code DWG for a special introductory monitoring rate for Downers Grove businesses. For any questions concerning permitting or procedures, please contact the Downers Grove Fire Prevention Bureau at (630) 434-5983.

Category: Fire Alarm Monitoring, Uncategorized Tags: Total Fire & Safety, wireless alarm monitoring, wireless fire alarm monitoring, wireless fire alarms | Comments Off on Total Fire & Safety Helping Downers Grove with Wireless Launch
Four Telltale Signs You Should Update Your Commercial Fire Protection
August 19, 2014 by Total Fire and Safety
Your commercial fire protection systems should be a “set it and forget it” situation, right? Perhaps, but just like everything, fire systems age too. By updating the system you have, you may be able to save considerable time and money, thanks to advances in the latest life safety technologies. So how do you know when it’s time to update your commercial fire protection? Here are the main telltale signs:

Overall age of the system. The industry has made great strides in fire prevention technology in the past decade. The industry continually makes equipment more efficient and reliable, so if it has been a while since you upgraded, chances are you’re missing something.

Changes in your business or areas of your facility. Have you had any changes that would affect the fire code in a particular area of your facility? For example if you have relocated your flammables to a different area of the building, you may need additional protection, such as additional fire extinguishers or alarm monitoring to remain compliant with fire code. A fire protection professional can help you make the necessary adjustments.

Too many service calls. Have you noticed you are calling more often for system malfunctions? Does it seem like you are constantly scheduling a service call from your fire protection service? Are service calls becoming more routine? Are the bills from your fire protection service inflating because of excessive service calls? These are signs that your older system needs an upgrade to function properly. As an added bonus, you will see a reduction in your service calls and maintenance fees!

And the most important reason for upgrading your system…

You are paying too much for your monitoring services. Many companies aren’t aware of how much they are actually paying their service company to monitor their fire safety every month. It’s possible a simple, inexpensive upgrade can result in a remarkable savings over time. For example, many companies are switching to wireless fire alarm monitoring systems, which allows them to cut their dual landlines and save 70% on their alarm monitoring services each month.

If you have an older building, or if you are wondering if an upgrade can save your business money each month, please call Total Fire and Safety at 630-960-5060 for a FREE evaluation of your current commercial fire protection service.

Category: Fire Safety, Uncategorized Tags: commercial fire protection, commercial fire safety, fire and safety equipment, fire and safety needs, fire and safety software, fire and safety solutions, fire safety software, fire safety solution, firesafetytraining, Total Fire & Safety | Comments Off on Four Telltale Signs You Should Update Your Commercial Fire Protection
Total Offers Savings on Fire Alarm Monitoring Systems to Bloomingdale Businesses
February 21, 2014 by Total Fire and Safety
Recently, the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District No. 1 made legal changes to the District’s Fire Alarm Monitoring Ordinances. The new ordinance requires businesses to maintain monitoring with a licensed fire alarm company for the transmission of wireless alarm signals to the District’s dispatch center. Although the district has assigned its monitoring agreements to a certain vendor, Bloomingdale businesses now have a choice of fire alarm monitoring service vendors.

Total Fire & Safety responded with a personal invitation to the businesses asking them to choose Total. We offered an introductory package that included installation, connection and maintenance of a high-quality, 4G wireless monitoring system that is fully compatible with the new ordinance. The offer is available now through February 28, 2014.

More and more fire districts are beginning to require wireless fire alarm monitoring over central monitoring systems, which receive signals from fire alarm panels via a phone line. The reasons are many:

–Wireless monitoring creates a reliable, direct connection with the dispatch center, without the opportunity for problems such as grounding failures from copper lines

–Wireless monitoring is less expensive than phone lines

–Wireless monitoring is faster, while delays can occur with signals reaching the central monitoring system.

The consistent, more affordable and reliable system is available now at a discount rate from Total Fire. If you are a business in Bloomingdale, IL needing a vendor to fulfill the new ordinance, we have the equipment and superior customer service you need. If you know of a business in need of a new wireless alarm monitoring service, please have them contact us at info@totalfireandsafety.com.

Category: Fire Alarm Monitoring, Uncategorized Tags: wireless fire alarm monitoring, wireless fire alarms, wireless fire alarms for business | Comments (1)
Fire Equipment Training
May 11, 2013 by Total Fire and Safety
Effective Training

We can simulate A, B and C class fires at four difficulty levels and have the capability of grading trainees on their performance. Hundreds of trainees can be trained in a single day without weather restrictions, EPA environmental issues or the mess of using conventional training methods.

Safe Atmosphere

Total Fire & Safety Inc. incorporates the latest technology, utilizing digital flames with laser or water training extinguishers.

Program Advantages
- Makes training to OSHA requirements safe and easy
- Allows training to take place entirely indoors: in the conference room, hallways, or in the actual work environment where the emergency would potentially take place
- Has the ability to grade users, making it easy to monitor improvement and proficiency
- No toxic waste or extinguisher residue left behind after training is complete
- A burn permit is not required while eliminating the hazards associated with conventional fire extinguisher training.
Category: Uncategorized Tags: Extinguishertraining, fireextinguisher, Fireextinguishertraining, firesafetytraining | Comments Off on Fire Equipment Training