The Need to Find Fire Equipment Fast
In the event of a fire, there’s not a moment to lose when authorized personnel must locate fire hoses. If the use of fire hoses is part of your fire safety plan, best practices in safety communication mean that you clearly and accurately mark their location so they can easily be found.
Clearly Marked Fire Hose Locations
Because of our involvement with writing both the NFPA and ISO standards related to fire safety signs, we understand how fire equipment location sign systems are meant to be designed and installed.
Picture the risk situation you’re trying to address; the need to find a fire hose can occur at any time and practically anywhere in your facility. The optimum situation is that the location of fire hoses can be readily seen in every area. But this is rarely the case. Obstacles, partitions, corridors and corners exist. So the best safety practice is to:
- Post a fire hose location sign above the actual equipment.
- Then install directional versions of the fire hose location sign (which point towards the direction to the equipment) wherever people cannot actually see a fire hose’s location or its “above-the-equipment” sign.
We carry all the variations you need for each of these types of signs.
OSHA on Fire Hose Location Identification
The OSHA regulation for fire hose location signs reads as follows:
1910.158(c)(1) Reels and cabinets. Where reels or cabinets are provided to contain fire hose, the employer shall assure that they are designed to facilitate prompt use of the hose valves, the hose, and other equipment at the time of a fire or other emergency. The employer shall assure that the reels and cabinets are conspicuously identified and used only for fire equipment.
