Published November 23rd, 2020
What are Fire Safety Checklists?
Fire safety checklists are excellent tools used to inspect for potential risks and fire hazards that can be mitigated to avoid serious injuries, workplace deaths, and property loss. As important tools during fire safety checks, fire safety inspection checklists help safety officers develop the best possible fire safety plans for workplaces.
This article will briefly discuss
- the importance of fire safety check;
- what should be in a fire safety plan?;
- 3 key elements of an effective fire safety plan;
- how to build a solid fire safety plan with iAuditor;
- free downloadable and customizable mobile fire safety checklists to help develop solid fire safety plans.
Importance of Fire Safety Checks
In 2017 US Fire Loss Report, the U.S. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported that there were around 1.3 million fire incidents and an estimated 3,400 civilian deaths due to these unfortunate occurrences. These incidents easily destroyed properties, caused injuries, derailed livelihoods, and took lives.
To prevent fire incidents, fire safety checks are key strategies to keep fire risks at bay. With the use of fire safety inspection checklists, regular fire safety checks help comply with national fire codes. Fire code violations do not only lead to serious penalties, but they also reflect the management’s level of commitment. Fire safety checks also help in building vital data for developing appropriate safety measures for the building fire safety plan.
What should be in a Fire Safety Plan?
According to OSHA regulations, a fire prevention plan should at least include:
- A list of all major fire hazards, proper handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials (HAZMAT), potential ignition sources and their control, and the type of fire protection equipment necessary to control each major hazard;
- Procedures to control accumulations of flammable and combustible waste materials;
- Procedures for regular maintenance of safeguards installed on heat-producing equipment to prevent the accidental ignition of combustible materials;
- The name or job title of employees responsible for maintaining equipment to prevent or control sources of ignition or fires; and
- The name or job title of employees responsible for the control of fuel source hazards.
3 Most Important Elements of an Effective Fire Safety Plan
An effective fire safety plan is the sum of its parts, and its important to understand each of those parts and ensure that they are well-integrated into the plan. Each element contributes to minimizing fire risks and helping fire safety officers develop fire safety inspection procedures and strategies for the fire safety plan. Here are the three key elements of a fire safety plan:
- Fire Prevention
The best fire fighting measure is prevention. It is important that workers are trained on fire safety in order for them to develop heightened awareness about fire hazards. They should be knowledgeable about emergency procedures and the operation of fire protection equipment. Fire risk assessments are also necessary as they provide insight on which hazards are present and the necessary measures to manage their risk. Safety officers can utilize fire safety checklists to conduct comprehensive checks of these aspects of the fire safety plan. - Fire Fighting
Fire safety plans should include regular inspections of equipment for active fire protection (AFP), such as fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire sprinkler systems, and smoke detectors, to ensure they are functional at all times. Safety officers and facility engineering teams must carefully plan and design the appropriate fire fighting and protection system as this is the first thing the people will rely on in case of an incipient fire. - Emergency Evacuation
Although individuals can fight incipient fires with fire fighting equipment, the management should still put importance on how to safely evacuate the people during a fire emergency. Everyone should know the emergency evacuation plan, which includes contact details of safety authorities, emergency exit map, and other fire emergency protocols. To measure knowledge of emergency evacuation plans, fire safety plans should also include regular fire drills to ensure readiness.
Build a Solid Fire Inspection Checklist with iAuditor
iAuditor by SafetyCulture, the world’s best fire inspection software, can help safety officials and building owners streamline their fire safety inspection procedures and strengthen compliance with national fire safety codes. Safety officers can use this free fire inspection software to:
- eliminate paper trails and convert fire safety checklists into smart, digital checklists;
- automate regular fire safety inspections and setup push notification reminders;
- immediately see common fire safety plan lapses and issue corrective actions;
- save time and easily input the date by scanning fire safety equipment barcodes;
- organize fire safety equipment records and easily retrieve them through iAuditor’s secure cloud storage;
- sign off fire safety inspection checklists for quicker verifications;
- auto-generate complete fire safety inspection reports and instantly share them with key decision-makers.
This collection of digital fire inspection checklists offer a wide range of use: (1) performing site safety inspections (2) fire risk assessments (3) fire protection systems and equipment checks, and 4) fire drill plan checks; and (5) creating fire incident/investigative reports.
Get started by browsing these free fire safety checklists and customize them according to your fire inspection needs.
Featured Fire Safety Checklists
General Fire Safety Inspection Checklist
You can use this general Fire Safety inspection Checklist, or fire safety audit checklist, to facilitate routine fire inspections and evaluate if fire safety procedures and protocols are followed and complied with by building owners and occupants. This can help enhance fire safety awareness and identify fire risks. With iAuditor, you can:
- Build smart, digital fire inspection checklist to conduct assessments of fire safety equipment, training programs, and evacuation plans.
- Document all observations and capture photo evidence of any equipment defects that may cause fire or explosion.
- Use Analytics to track frequently failed items and assess the facility’s safety and compliance with fire safety provisions.
- Generate comprehensive fire safety inspection reports and automatically send them to key recipients
School Fire Safety Checklist
All schools must ensure that fire precautions are complied with to prevent injuries and accidents. School Fire Safety Checklist can be used by administrators and safety officials to check the school’s facilities, fire protection systems, and electrical equipment. Capture photos and assign immediate actions to appropriate departments to address faulty electrical devices, inadequate fire protection systems, and non-compliances to safety fire procedures.
Workplace Fire Safety Checklist
A workplace fire safety checklist is a tool used by safety officers to assess the readiness of the workplace in an event of fire incident. It helps inspect the fire risk assessments if it complies with business guidelines and current legislation. This workplace fire safety checklist was converted by BBC using iAuditor by SafetyCulture. This template help assess the premises if it adhere to vacuation procedures, fire warden training, and fire drill processes.
Fire Risk Assessment
Risk assessment forms can be the best tools used to oversee potential risks and create immediate action plans. This Fire Risk Assessment template can help identify fire hazards and can be used in different settings. This checklist is divided into three sections which cover detailed information about the building and occupants, identification of hazards and control measures, and the general assessment of the two components: 1) Likelihood of fire and 2) Consequences of fire.
Fire Safety Advisor Inspection
Fire Safety Advisors are safety and compliance specialists who perform risk assessments and fire investigations. This Fire Safety Advisor Inspection checklist can be used by Fire Safety Advisors when conducting site walkthroughs to evaluate adherence with fire safety procedures.
Fire Extinguisher Inspection Checklists
Fire extinguishers need to be inspected regularly to ensure that these equipment are maintained and are readily available in case of emergencies. Browse this collection of fire extinguisher inspection templates to conduct internal equipment checks and do the scheduled monthly or annual inspection of fire extinguishers. Use iAuditor to record and capture equipment tags, seals, and equipment damages. Schedule your inspections using iAuditor and not miss another scheduled inspection again.
Fire Door Inspection Checklist
Fire doors are fire-resistant equipment that need to be checked regularly to make sure they still offer protection to other parts of the building. This detailed Fire Door Inspection Checklist can be used to survey the overall condition of fire doors. Check the door, frame, bolts, hinges, locks, fire exit hardware, door closers, and other significant parts for defects in need of repair or replacement. Annotate images taken and generate reports on the spot using your mobile device.
Smoke Detector Test
One of the critical mechanisms essential to all fire protection systems that need to be checked are smoke detectors. Use this checklist to record all tested smoke detectors, including those which failed tests. iAuditor can help inspectors with keeping track of defective devices for replacement, assigning actions, and scheduling the next tests to be conducted.
Fire Pump Inspection Report
Fire pumps are critical to fire protection systems and they need to be inspected to make sure they’re in good working condition. This Fire Pump Inspection Report is divided into 2 sections: the owner’s section and inspector’s section. The owner’s section asks the owner about the fire pump usage information. The inspector’s section is subdivided into 3 parts: tests, results and fire pump maintenance. Validate the inspection by having both the owner’s and the inspector’s signatures. Generate reports on the spot and share them electronically using your mobile, tablet, or iPad.
Fire Sprinkler Inspection Report
Fire sprinklers must be maintained and checked to make sure that they will react quickly to smoke, heat, and flames. This Fire Sprinkler Inspection checklist is a complete package that can help inspectors perform daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual inspections. Through the iAuditor fire sprinkler inspection app, you may customize this checklist template according to your needs and auto-generate complete fire sprinkler inspection reports.
Fire Investigation Template
Use this Fire Investigation Template to create a summary investigation of a fire incident. Collaborate with the investigative team to identify the root cause of a fire. Determine whether the fire was accidental or criminal and describe some factors and issues that may have contributed to the fire. Document interviews from relevant witnesses and take photos of the area. Complete the report by writing recommendations to improve safety and include signatures of the fire investigator and the documentor.
Fire Incident Report Template
You can use this Fire Incident Report template to capture information on fire incidents such as building and vehicle fires, premises evacuation, alarm activation, obstructed exit routes, or accidental fire notifications.Notify fire safety officials or regulatory authorities to take action and resolve the incident. Visit this page for more incident report templates.
Fire Fighting Equipment Inspection Checklist
This fire fighting equipment inspection checklist can help safety officers to perform diligent inspections of every fire prevention and safety equipment in their facility, such as fire extinguishers, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and fire sprinkler systems. This digital checklist enables users to easily take pictures, add notes about observed defects, and immediately assign tasks for remedial actions.
Fire Alarm Inspection Report Template
This fire alarm inspection report template can help fire safety officers to easily conduct inspections of fire alarm systems and equipment, and immediately produce a professional report without the need for manual re-entry. You can customize this checklist according to your facility’s own fire safety inspection procedures and easily disseminate it to other safety officers.
Fire Drill Checklist
A fire drill checklist is used to evaluate an end to end process of evacuation drill. It is completed by safety coordinators to check the effectiveness of evacuation process set. This template has been built to guide the safety coordinators to perform the following:
- Check if the fire execution drill was communicated to all parties involved;
- Inspect evacuation routes, signage, and emergency equipment if in good condition and readily available;and
- Capture photos of potential hazards and obstructions
