Fire extinguishers are required by law in most commercial buildings, and so may be considered essential by your Massachusetts business insurance company too. You may never need to use a fire extinguisher at your place of business, but should an emergency arise, a working fire extinguisher could save much of your business property and possibly the lives of your employees.
Fire extinguishers at businesses are intended to prevent small, manageable fires from becoming large dangerous ones. Many fire extinguishers use dry chemical powder, pressurized water or wet chemicals to put out fires. Carbon dioxides extinguishers may be used on electrical fires as they do not leave a residue that could damage electrical equipment. However, they should not be used in small confined spaces as they may drain the oxygen out of the room.
You should make sure employees know where the fire extinguishers are located in your building, and they need to be trained on how to correctly operate one. Your fire extinguishers need to be inspected on a monthly basis to make sure they are in good condition.
Should a fire break out at your place of business, and you are not sure it is small enough to be handled by a fire extinguisher, it may be best to pull the fire alarm and evacuate the building. Once everyone is evacuated, you may want to contact your local fire department and shortly afterwards, your Massachusetts business insurance agent.
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