Best Security Products blog

Austin Community College has created a video guide that explains proper procedure for evacuating a building during a fire emergency.

Click the video to watch the whole thing. Here are some tips from the video. These tips are shared by Douglas Garret from Austin Community College:

The video shows a worker dropping her sweater near a space heater and then leaving the room. Someone sees the smoke from the burning sweater and then pulls the manual fire alarm. As the alarm sounds, two other workers discuss whether they should leave the building or not. But it is important to always leave the building when an alarm sounds.

• Do not hesitate to pull the fire alarm if you notice a fire.
• Leave the building at the closest, safe exit anytime you hear the fire alarm.
• Never take the elevator; instead, use the stairs to get to lower floors. Firefighters are the only ones who should use the elevators during a fire emergency.
• Be sure to stay calm and orderly when moving toward the exits and leaving the building. This helps the building evacuation to go more smoothly.
• Those who need help exiting the building should wait in a designated area reserved for those who need rescue assistance. If you need help getting out, be sure you alert someone to your location inside the building. Or you can ask others to report your location for you. When the fire department arrives, they will make rescue their first priority.
• It is important to make sure you are familiar with the locations of exits in your building as well as the areas for rescue assistance.
• After you get outside, walk to the rally point – that designated area to wait after evacuating the building. Do not leave, because it is important that everyone be accounted for. If you know of anyone missing or hurt, report it to the authorities.

Click here to watch the entire video from Austin Community College.

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 or send us an email at sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA ) recently released an article which highlights some of the smartest way to protect the assets in retail stores.

More and more, retailers are turning to technology to help them not only protect their assets but also deliver excellent customer service. At a recent ‘innovation forum,’ several retailers came together to discuss ‘future trends” and “cutting-edge technologies.”¹

As a result of the forum discussions, RILA compiled a list of some top trends in the asset protection technology.

Here are some excerpts from the article. Click here to read the whole thing.

One important trend is smart video. New technological advancements in vision and intelligence are making it possible to search information captured by and then extracted from the video. The result is that the subject’s facial expressions and even emotions can be determined. Research is also being done on technology that is able to deduce what is happening outside the range of the camera based on what is happening inside the range of the camera.

Another up and coming technological advancement has to do with biometrics, and the ability of the technology to anticipate perpetrators’ actions before they act on their bad intentions.

Predictive analytics is yet another aspect of using advancements in technology to increase asset protection in retail stores. Rather than relying on the ‘old fashioned’ way of forecasting fraud (for example by looking at older data and projecting into the future), predictive analytics peers into the future – literally. For example, a static picture of someone coming in a store could be analyzed to predict both where in the store they will go and also what their behavior will be in those areas.

Best Security Products can customize a security solution for your unique needs. Are you ready for peace of mind? Give us a call or email us at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

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You might not think that a few cloths stored in a plastic container could cause $500,000 in damages, but that is exactly what happened in a new house under construction.

This article reports that the cloths had been used to stain a new house. The clothes were improperly stored in a plastic container and began to heat up causing soot and smoke damage.

Cloths that have been soaked with oils or chemicals can present a fire hazard if not stored correctly.

Click the video below to view an actual demonstration of an oil soaked rag igniting:

How do oily rags ignite? When these rags are piled up together, the oil dries and releases heat, and the air gets trapped. The combination of heat and oxygen creates a fire hazard.¹ 

The best prevention is to know how to store and dispose of these cloths. Here are some tips to keep in mind the next time you embark on a project at home or at the office:

1. Place the soiled rags in a container with a tight fitting lid. Metal is best, but if you only have a plastic can or even a zip lock bag, that will work as well. Next, fill the container with water and then close. This will prevent the oxidation of the oils. Contact your local trash pick-up company for instructions on how to dispose of the container.

2. Alternatively, you can hang the cloths outside to dry, or you can spread them out flat. They should not be in a pile. Weight them down with something so they do not bunch up or fly away in the wind. Once they have dried, contact your local trash pick-up company for instructions on how to dispose of the cloths.

At Best Security Products, we use Honeywell products to deliver a state-of-the-art, customized fire security system to your property. For a consultation, please call or email our office: 1-800–988–2378, sales@bestsecurityproducts.com.

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