Safety & Security PREPARE AND BE AWARE
Inspecting Fire & Life Safety Systems
Fire and life safety systems must be routinely inspected and maintained
to ensure their function when they are needed most... in case of emergency. BY MIKE HALLIGAN
A LL CAMPUS FIRE SAFETY
professionals and facility man- agers would agree that investing
in robust fi re safety systems and products is an essential element in our efforts to ensure the safety of property and people on our campuses. In most of our buildings we have devices that monitor, detect, notify,
assist evacuation, or protect occupants from harm, and we should be spending signifi cant resources to test, maintain, and improve them every year. The smoke detec- tors, sprinkler heads, fi re extinguishers, horns, strobes, audible devices, exit signs, and fi re doors that we install are some of the most important features of any struc-
ture. A fi re alarm system and accessory components are, without doubt, a necessity for life safety. By monitoring the environ- ment and noticing any changes potentially related to unsafe conditions, a fi re alarm system alerts the occupants of a building that there is an "unusual" condition, and all people need to be aware of the condition
JUNE 2012 / COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 51
ISTOCKPHOTO / BARIS SIMSEK