Best Security Products blog

How well is your office or business protected from fire? Do you have working smoke detectors, heat detectors and alarm systems in place, so that even the smallest fire will be detected? What about a fire after hours? If a fire occurs overnight at your business, how quickly would you and the authorities be notified?

The BRE Group has published a video that demonstrates how an overnight office fire progresses when no one has been alerted to its presence. You can click the video to watch the whole thing, but we’ve included screenshots to show the progression of the fire.

The fire begins in a corner…

And within 3 and minutes the fire has ignited much of the room:

How do office fires like this start? According to this article, some of the most common causes of office fire include Faulty Electrics (overloaded plugs, loose wires and old equipment), Flammable Combustible Materials (when there are handled or stored incorrectly they present a fire hazard), Human Error (kitchen accidents or mishandling of flammable or combustible substances), General Negligence (not following procedures and precautions or by engaging in activities that are considered fire hazards), and Arson.

You can take steps to protect your business from being devastated by an office fire like the one above, and at Best Security Products, we can help you.

The first step is to assess your current fire protection and what is needed to upgrade your system to provide the coverage and peace of mind that you need. Smoke detectors, heat detectors, addressable fire systems, and monitored alarms are just a few of the options we will explore while customizing a business fire system for your business.

We will work with you to determine exactly what you need and what you do not need, so you are adequately protected without paying for components that are unnecessary.

We will take care of all your commercial and home fire security and safety needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Often the first clue that a fire has started in a building is the sound of fire alarms or smoke detectors. These alarms give occupants precious minutes to get to safety before the danger of smoke inhalation, flashover or spreading fire become life threatening. Minutes matter in a fire emergency, and that is why it is important to have working fire alarms in all workplaces.

But what if the fire alarms are ignored? The only way fire alarms can save lives is if the alarms are taken seriously. If the fire alarms are dismissed, lives can be lost.

An interesting study performed by iHasco found that in a group setting, people are likely to ignore fire alarms unless someone specifically comes in and tells them to exit the building. In this study, participants did not know they were being studied to determine their reaction to a fire alarm; they thought the study was for something else.

While they were filling out paperwork, a fire alarm sounded and the group ignored the alarm, outside of a little chatter about the alarm. Below is a screenshot from the video by iHasco. The participants you see are hearing the fire alarm, but ignoring it.

(Click the video to view the clip.)

It is not until 2 minutes into the fire alarm that one of the participants gets up to find out what is happening.

In a real emergency, 2 minutes could mean the difference between life and death.

To create a safer work environment for your business, discuss this study with your employees, tenants, etc. Be sure they understand the importance of responding quickly to fire alarms. While there are many false alarms that happen, it is better to be inconvenienced by checking on an alarm that is false than waiting too late to respond to a fire alarm that is signaling a true emergency.

At Best Security Products, we can help you with all commercial and home fire security and safety needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

It may surprise you to learn that 90% of burglaries are preventable. There are many things you can do to reduce the likelihood that your home will be burglarized. One of best deterrents against burglary is a home security system. Most criminals admit that if they know a home is protected by a home alarm system, they will not attempt to break in.

But even if you do have a home alarm system, adding extra layers of protection is a good idea. Here are a few tips to make your home even safer:

1. Brighten things up. Burglars like to work under the cover of darkness, so the brighter your house and property is, the better. Make sure that the areas around your doors and windows are well lit. To save electricity, consider putting security lights on motion detectors, so they only turn on when motion triggers the sensors.

2. Tidy your landscaping. Large hedges or decorative items near your house provide burglars with perfect places to hide. Trim back large plants and make sure outdoor equipment is not easily accessible; burglars can use large objects to gain access to upper story windows and balconies.

3. Get a dog. A barking dog is one of the best ways to scare off a thief. They know the barking alerts others of their presence, and a barking dog also means they may get bitten! If you are an animal lover, giving a home to a pet dog may be just the extra layer of protection you need to keep your home and family safe.

4. Beef up your door frames. Door frames for home security? Yes. Regardless of how strong your locks and dead bolts are, if you have weak door frames, a criminal can kick it in and bypass the locks altogether.

At Best Security Products, we are experts in Home Security Systems. Please call or email for a consultation: 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com