While we are a nation that loves to gather together, large gatherings of people and their belongings create a greater risk for fire damage and loss of property. A single home that sits far away from other structures will, for instance, have fewer implications for neighbors if it catches on fire. A single unit in a large apartment complex, however, can cause fire or smoke damage to many units if not quickly contained. Worse yet, without proper installation of fire sprinklers and alarms, a single unit apartment fire can cause loss of life.
Fire safety is always important. It is especially important in buildings like hotels, hospitals, large apartment complexes, schools, data centers, and warehouses. Without good advice from a fire alarm contractor, a small fire that begins in a single location or a single unit can impact an entire building, all of the merchandise and belongings in that building, and all of the people who are working or living there.
Fire alarm contractors provide the best advice on how to complete a building according to strict city and state fire codes. In fact, many construction projects and building completions are more costly and take more time than they should if fire alarm contractors are not constantly being consulted.
Even remodeling and expansion projects rely on the advice of fire alarm contractors and local authorities. For instance, renovation projects that require a fire alarm or sprinkler system to be disabled for more than a limited number of hours in a 24-hour period, require that the local fire department be notified. Additionally, in many instances a hospital must also establish a fire watch. In all building and renovation projects fire alarm and fire sprinkler contractors must be consulted to make sure that all completed and in progress sites are as safe as possible.
Statistics Indicate the Damage Fire Can Cause

• 6,240 was the average number of structure fires in or on health care properties a year between the years 2006 and 2010.
• 55% of medical facility fires are confined cooking fires.
• 19% of the fires that are not confined cooking fires involve electrical malfunctions.
• The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that in the year 2010 alone fire departments responded to 1,200 hospital fires.
• 15 deaths and 500 injuries every year are caused by motel and hotel fires.
• $76 million in property loss is caused by hotel and motel fires every year.

In spite of these numbers, it is important to remember that they could be much worse. In fact, warehouse fires have declined substantially over the past 30 years, from 4,700 fires in the year 1980 to 1,200 fires in the year 2011. And while limiting the loss of property in warehouse fires is something to celebrate, protecting lives is even more important.
Fire Safety Continues to be a Priority for America
While fire safety precautions are most importantly in place to protect lives. Theses precautions also protect other things as well. Most recently, in addition to protecting goods and supplies in warehouse across the country, fire safety guidelines have also been put in place to protect data. In fact, fire prevention and detection is a major component of what data centers offer to their customers. It is critical to safeguard data centers because they contain critical business and organizational information around the world. In fact, these global facilities will require an estimated $149 billion in spending this year.
New fire codes like NFPA 76 provide updated requirements for fire protection of telecommunications facilities. These codes detail everything from protection guidelines for telephone, data, internet transmission, wireless, and video services data to the life safety requirements for the occupants. Additionally, these guidelines strive to provide protection of equipment and continuation of services.
It should come as no surprise that as America becomes a nation that continues to make progress in all kinds of technology, that it is also a nation that strives to protect those technologies. While no data or inventory is as important as a life, data centers are responsible for maintaining the technology that Americans need for everything from banking to healthcare and finances to security.
Fire alarm contractors are the first line of defense against fires and other disasters.