Commercial Fire Blog

One of the most overlooked parts of contracting out service for fire and life safety equipment is the Request for Pricing (RFP). As the old adage goes, “you get out what you put in,” which couldn’t be truer, when it comes to preparing an RFP. As a Facility or Sourcing Manager, the only thing paramount to saving your company money, is protecting their people and property. And with a better understanding of what makes up a good RFP, you can accomplish both.

One of the most important goals a Facility Manager can have is providing effective fire and life safety equipment and systems across all of your locations. Unfortunately, it can be a lot like trying to untangle a huge plate of pasta. There are tons of codes and regulations to follow, current and projected expenses to consider, and an accounting of what fire and life safety equipment and systems are present or missing here, there, everywhere! And in terms of cost, what’s your exposure? While the initial responsibility for meeting fire and life safety codes and regulations originated with the builders, that became your responsibility, as the Facility Manger, as soon as ownership changed hands. And that responsibility involves some sobering issues—protection of lives and property and avoidance of fines while keeping maintenance, repair, and replacement costs down.

As a Facility Manager, understanding the various aspects of fire and life safety for your building(s) or space(s) is not only paramount to avoiding fines, but critical to protecting your employees and patrons. This is no easy task, as you are probably responsible for numerous locations locally, regionally, and/or locations that are scattered around the country. On top of that, there is the fire and life safety equipment itself as well as the numerous codes, regulations, and laws that govern over it, requiring installation of this or service of that. It can be overwhelming trying to get your arms around all of it or, moreover, even knowing what equipment or systems you have or who’s responsible for maintaining it.

A colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a life-threatening by-product found in fumes produced by burning gasoline, propane, wood, charcoal, or other fuel used in vehicles, furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, gas ranges, or grills. Most of the time CO is released in the air outside, where it is relatively harmless. But when CO accumulates in a tightly sealed or enclosed space, like a home or building, it can be very lethal, very fast.

As a Facility Manager, one of your most important tasks is making sure your building, your employees, and your customers are safe. And having multiple locations, spread across the country, protecting people and property becomes exponentially harder. But you need help, because there’s too much to know and too many things to do. You know a local outfit won’t work—they can’t service all of your locations or needs. So you’re set on contracting with a large National Provider, but you still have questions/concerns.

Regardless if it's fire protection, kitchen hood cleaning, or emergency lighting in your building, chances are you have a laundry list of service providers to help you stay compliant while, hopefully, keeping both your property and your people safe.

If you have multiple locations—all over the country, regionally, or locally—keeping track of each location’s fire and life safety inspections and service can be a nightmare. And as the FM (Multi-Site Facility Manager), you’ve got enough to keep track of already, focusing on the efficient, effective delivery of all the other support services you’re responsible for. It doesn’t need to be that hard. With the right National Fire & Life Safety Provider in your corner, keeping track of your inspections and service—everywhere—can actually be quick and simple.

If you are the manager of facilities for multiple locations, you have probably been frustrated by the complexity of Fire and Life Safety, and you’ve probably found there is little information or advice on how to maintain it while managing costs effectively across all of your locations. To help you better understand and deal with these complexities, this article is devoted to discussions on this topic, where we’ll explore the many concerns and considerations that surround Fire and Life Safety and its cost in this distinctly regulated activity. By delving into the many facets that drive you to make decisions, we hope to help you make the right ones. Let’s start by addressing the regulations, called Fire Codes.

As an FM (Multi-Site Facility Manager), and with so many choices out there, knowing which company to choose can be a crapshoot if you don’t know what to look for. It can also be an expensive lesson, if you choose poorly. But if you arm yourself with a little information beforehand, finding the right provider for your Fire and Life safety needs will be whole lot easier—and cheaper—in the long run.