Preplanning

Our studio is usually closed on Mondays since we work most weekends so Mondays become our day off. On Mondays I usually work at the fire station until noon then work around home for the balance of the day. This morning instead of performing fire engine weekly inspections, I assisted two of our paid firefighters by preplanning several local businesses.

What is preplanning? Simply we visit local businesses and record important facts that will be helpful in the event we have a fire call at that business. Some of the areas that are important to identify include: gas and electric shutoffs, sprinkler connections if available, interior layout, exits, storage of any hazardous materials, contact information, location of nearest fire hydrants, type of construction, etc.

After the information is gathered, it is condensed to one fact page along with any floor plans or location maps and placed in binders on the first responding engines. In the event of a fire call to a business, an officer will consult the preplan information while we are in route. Having this basic information greatly enhances our ability to respond to a fire incident and increases on scene firefighter safety.

To date we have completed preplans on approximately 90 businesses and have another 30 or so to go. We focus our preplanning activities on businesses as the variety of products, occupancy and layout varies widely. To my blog readers I extend an invitation to any who wish to have their business preplanned. We will also preplan your home if you have any home fire safety concerns. A call to the fire station at 304.472.2868 is all that is needed.