Small Business and Fire Prevention
Fires can be downright devastating in the Philippines. That is why every year a small business owner in the Philippines can expect to be paid a visit by the inspection team from the Office of the City Fire Marshal.
The Office of the City Fire Marshal falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Fire Protection, which in turn falls under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government. Every municipality has such an office, and one of the tasks undertaken by this office is to help promote fire prevention. It is a task that is not taken lightly. To underscore the importance of fire prevention nation-wide, every March is hailed as Fire Prevention Month in the Philippines.
After the team undertakes their annual inspection visit of a small business, the owner of the business can expect to receive an After Mission Report that includes findings and recommendations. The findings section generally includes a check-list of the following: whether you have the appropriate business and/or occupancy permits for the building you are in; whether there are sufficient exits from the building and that these are not obstructed in any way; that the electrical system is up to code and does not pose any hazards; that an automatic emergency lighting system is in place and functioning; and, that there is an appropriate number of first-aid and fire fighting devices for the premises.
The recommendations section of the after mission report generally indicates what steps, if any, the small business should take to remedy any potential fire hazards as a part of fire prevention for the building and its grounds. The list generally includes the following measures: unplug all electrical loads when not in use; submit fire insurance data and obtain proper coverage; have fire extinguishers serviced or refilled; install additional automatic emergency lighting if needed; keep all passages to fire exits free of obstructions at all times; attend a fire safety seminar; and, update/bring up to code the electrical system.
The After Mission Report will advise you on how well your small business is faring in terms of fire prevention measures. Please take the findings and recommendations seriously. Personal property and even lives could be at risk if you fail to act on the recommendations found in the report. Do the right thing and comply – the time and effort required to meet the minimum safety measures outlined in the report will not be overly cumbersome, nor will such preventative measures cost very much.
As a foreign small business owner you may think the above list is a little ‘light’. You would be right! Back home you probably took even more precautions at home or at your place of work in the area of fire prevention. Accordingly, I strongly urge you to follow the same guidelines you adhered to back home. When it comes to fire safety, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure! As a bit of a re-fresher, try and look out for the following:
- Make sure you have no overloaded circuits;
- Really look into fuse blowouts as they could be a sign of serious electrical problems;
- Get rid of and replace any frayed electrical cords;
- Don’t let trash pile up;
- Clear out and store items that are rarely used;
- Don’t allow smoking in high risk areas of your building;
- Make sure you properly use, store, and dispose of flammable materials;
- Check and maintain air-conditioning and ventilation equipment at regular intervals; and finally,
- Don’t forget to buy battery-operated smoke detectors and check them regularly.
I really urge all small business owners in the Philippines to reflect on their own fire prevention strategies. There is no need to wait for March to be reminded and take appropriate action! If there are any readers who have additional suggestions and tips regarding fire prevention, please feel free to post for the benefit of all of us! And remember, be prepared, and always be profitable!
Hi Martin, thanks for this very interesting and important post. Before we got our business permit (as I said before, our business is located ‘at home” in our compound), we also got the visit of inspectors of the Bureau of Fire Protection. Good thing… . Many people think, it’s really unnecessary.
Hi Klaus,
I remember when we were opening our business and at that time it was easy to overlook the importance of something like fire safety compared to the many pressing needs faced when opening the business. The good thing is that complying with this inspection was easy and really made sense from a loss prevention standpoint. In your case, did you find there were any tips offered specifically for home-based businesses? That would maybe be of interest for some of the readers.
Cheers!
Hi Martin – honestly, I didn’t get any more specific tips. What I learned is this: a home-based business (even it’s just an office, as what I operate) is easier to control and to keep it protected. It happened that I was in my classroom in USEP here in Davao (where I used to teach German language), when suddenly the aircondition unit caught fire. It was an lucky incident, that exactly at that time two security guards dropped by, saw the dilemma and could call the fire prevention staff… .
Hi Klaus,
I’m so glad to hear your experience didn’t result in a major fire from the air-conditioner in your classroom. It goes to show how important it is to maintain these units and be on the lookout for similar fire hazards. Thanks for sharing!
Martin
Yea Martin fires are bad they consume everything in there paths too ,,i remember my wife called me telling me that there was a fire in her area where she was staying ..squatters area …everybody running to get away the paths were full of people getting out ..some didn’t make it , lots of homes were burned .my family got out ok thank god …. so Be prepared …Phil R.
Hi Martin
I work in the fire protection industry in the US and thought that I would mention that there is not a very diligent enforcement of the fire codes here. The fire marshal position here seems to be politically motivated and the business owners view enforcement as punishment. In the city that I live in a fire marshal was fired by t he mayor for refusing to deviate from the code for the mayor’s friend.
Most of my clients have a federal labor requirement or an insurance company that makes them comply. My brother in law has begged me for a couple of years to transfer my business to PI. I told him I don’t want to be killed by a jealous competitor. So in short the arrogant kanos can’t say everything is better in the US ha ha!
Tom
Hi Phil,
Yes, the poorer areas always seem to have the worst fires it seems. Amazingly, when a fire hits a poorer neighborhood, the first reaction of everyone in the area is to pile up all their worldly goods in the street. In the mean time, the fire does spread as everyone fears, the streets are filled up with goods and on-lookers, and the fire brigade cannot access the site. Before long an entire city block is reduced to ashes. It is a very sad site indeed. I am just surprised there are not more casualties in most cases. The chaos and the loss of property and life is simply astonishing when you’re on the outside looking-in.
Thanks for sharing your experience and account, Phil. I’m very glad indeed that your family made it to safety.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I sometimes hear stories like your own. Thankfully we’ve not encountered anything negative regarding the Fire Marshall’s Office where we have our business. Basically, I use the same tactics here that I would use in a western country regarding preventative measures and fire safety. The result is a positive After Mission Report every year, so everything goes smoothly for us. But I like the fact that the team of inspectors comes around every year — it is a good reminder to our staff of the importance of why we do certain things as preventative measures in the workplace.
Cheers!