The primary objectives of a construction site Fire Protection Program are to:
- prevent fires from starting
- detect, rapidly control and promptly extinguish fires that do occur
- ensure that fires will not prevent personnel evacuation or hinder emergency personnel access
A good Fire Protection Program will:
- Be Jobsite Specific
- While many parts of the plan may be used over and over again, the plan should be tailored for the specific hazards associated with each jobsite.
- Identify possible fire ignition sources and establish guidelines to minimize the danger. Some typical construction site ignition sources include:
- welding operations
- cutting operations
- hot mix asphalt equipment
- smoking
- electrical sources
Guidelines should include requiring appropriate fire-extinguishing equipment to be immediately available and not allowing cutting or welding operations to be located in close proximity to fuel sources.
- Identify fuel sources and establish guidelines to minimize the danger. Typical fuel sources include:
- trash piles
- pallets
- fuel supplies
- gas cylinders
- chemicals and solvents
- combustible metals
Guidelines should include locating and marking storage areas, frequent inspections, establishing trash disposal schedules or guidelines, limiting “smoking-allowed” areas and clearly posting “No Smoking” signs.
- Conspicuously identify and locate all fire-fighting equipment.
- Fire-fighting equipment should be accessible at all times.
- Fire-fighting equipment should be conspicuously identified.
- All jobsite personnel, including vendors, should know where the fire-fighting equipment is located.
- Develop and promote good housekeeping guidelines.
- Locate all fuel-source storage areas away from ignition sources, taking into account wind direction, water availability, etc.
- Schedule regular pickup of waste/trash.
- Dispose of oily/greasy rags properly.
- Clean up fuel spills quickly and properly.
- Maintain accessibility to fire-fighting equipment.
- Provide for regular, documented inspection and maintenance of fire-fighting equipment.
- Schedule and document regular inspections of all fire-fighting equipment.
- Schedule and document regular inspections of housekeeping efforts, storage areas, trash collection areas, fire-fighting equipment accessibility, evacuation and access routes, etc.
- Provide for the training of all jobsite personnel.
- Make sure that all jobsite personnel are trained and familiar with the jobsite’s “Fire Protection Program.”