Commercial Fire Blog

Christy Galagarza serves as an Affiliate Recruiter here at Commercial Fire. Her responsibilities really all boil down to one concept: being a helpful and available resource to all of our Affiliates and prospective Affiliates, focusing on building relationships that will help increase our footprint.

In this outreach role, Christy is often the first team member that new and prospective Affiliates meet. Her initial instinct is always to help others achieve their goals. As a valued team member at Commercial Fire, for almost 19 years, Christy cares about what our Affiliates need and strives to assist them in fulfilling those needs. Once an applicant is approved to join our Affiliate Network, Christy, who is based in Florida, also assists with the initial phases of the onboarding cycle. Countless team members have benefited from working with Christy, and we are proud to have her in our organization!

We asked Christy what she sees as the most important questions that prospective Affiliates need answered about joining our network. Here are her insights:

Q: What is the biggest benefit of being a Commercial Fire Affiliate and why?

"The biggest benefit is that there are no growth acquisition costs. When a service company is looking to grow their routes, without adding to costs, we bridge the gap. By joining our Affiliate Network, they can immediately begin servicing locations for some of the nation's largest and most established companies and organizations."

Q: What is the most common question asked by prospective Affiliates?

"The most common question is, ‘How are payments handled?’ I tell them that they get paid shortly after the job is completed, regardless of when the customer pays. That’s a huge benefit for them to see."

Q: If you had a list of "best-kept secrets" that you would offer to prospective Affiliates, which one would you highlight and why?

"Today, a potential Affiliate called and asked if they would need to hire more techs if they joined our network. I said that it is up to them. They can start with the team of techs that they have now and then, if things work out, they can grow their business through us, ask for more work, and then hire more techs. The biggest secret is how much they can grow their business with us -- they really can start small and grow to be very big."

To contact Christy about joining our Affiliate Network, email Christy.galagarza@commercialfire.com.

Get to know more of our incredible employees, like Christy Galagarza, in our upcoming blog posts and learn how you can join the Commercial Fire Affiliate Network!

Designed for occupant use, in the event of fire, fire hose stations offer occupants a manual means of putting water on fires at their initial stages in an attempt to either extinguish them or to allow occupants of a building to escape them safely. These stations are comprised of a hose valve, rack and reel fire hose, hose nozzle, and a storage device—pin rack, hose reel, or hose hanger. They are connected to a building’s standpipe system and generally located in corridors and/or in stairwells. They may or may not be housed in a cabinet. Fire Hose Stations are an important part of any building’s fire protection plan, but they do not take the place of a building’s automatic extinguishing systems, like fire sprinklers or pre-engineered suppression systems. Regardless, these stations are an invaluable link in the life-saving “chain of survival” that protects people and property from the ravages of fire in buildings.

NFPA standards mandate pre-engineered fire suppression systems for special hazards. These hazards involve flammable/combustible materials, liquids, and gases found in commercial kitchens, paint spray operations, data centers, electrical storage rooms, refueling areas, chemical plants, and more. That’s why a complete fire protection plan is necessary to protect your buildings, occupants, and employees.

At Commercial Fire, our goal is simple, we want to help our customers keep their facilities safe and compliant in the most efficient way. We've done this for the past 30 years. Because of that track record, we are thrilled to announce Commercial Fire was named "2021 Top Facility Management Company" in the service category by Healthcare Tech Outlook. We ask our EVP, Mark Murray, what this award and cover-story feature meant to him. Here is what he had to say.

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.

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.