You can do your best to maintain apartment fire safety as a landlord, but sometimes accidents happen. Unfortunately, you cannot control everything that happens on your property. Be sure you are doing all you can to prevent a fire before it happens. Here are three major areas to keep in mind as far as preventative apartment fire safety tips.

Meeting Building and Fire Codes

While meeting codes do not prevent a fire, it certainly helps apartment fire safety if all your preventative measure fail. According to the NFSA, Chicago building and fire protection codes do not require fire sprinklers in existing apartments under 80 ft high and additionally do not require fire sprinklers in new construction unless wood construction exceeds 30 ft high. However, there are strong arguments for fire sprinklers in all new apartments and condos. Make sure your building follows all local fire and building codes. Protect your building and more importantly, protect your tenants. Make sure you are also following smoke detector, alarm, and fire extinguisher codes. Additionally, post fire escape routes in your building where they are visible. When in doubt, have a local fire inspector come out.

Lay Down Some Ground Rules

In the tenant agreement, make sure to outline anything that is not allowed on the premises. Outline very clearly where smoking is and is not allowed. Do the same with your grilling policies. Do not allow grilling on small patios with overhangs. If you feel inclined, you may want to distribute an apartment fire safety handbook. This will help remind your tenants to do things like keep candles within sight, cook safely, and keep things away from heaters. If you have a shared laundry space in your building, post signs that lint traps should be cleaned after every use. Let tenants know if they are required to carry insurance. Encourage tenants to let management or maintenance about any issues. They should not be afraid to let somebody know if they suspect something is wrong.

Proper Maintenance

Regular building maintenance should encompass all your fire protection equipment. If you have a fire sprinkler system, it should have all the necessary inspections, including an annual inspection, backflow tests, 5-year internal inspections. Fire alarms, extinguishers, and smoke detectors should also be tested regularly. Schedule regular tests and battery replacements. Another good apartment fire safety idea is to make sure that electrical cords for all appliances are in good shape while inspecting tenant spaces.

While following the above apartment fire safety tips does not guarantee there will not be a fire on your rental property, it can help lessen the risk. At Valley Fire Protection & Plumbing, we can help you repair, install, or give your fire sprinkler system the 5-year internal inspection it needs.

Related Topics: Apartment fire safety

By: Tom Hartel

I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.