Mostly cloudy skies. Low 48F. Winds light and variable..

Mostly cloudy skies. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.

The Ashland Fire Department's Central Station is located on Cleveland Avenue. 

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The Ashland Fire Department's Central Station is located on Cleveland Avenue. 

ASHLAND — It's hard to go places with Ashland Fire Department Captain Mark Miller. He admits this.

When he goes into a public place, he constantly notices and points out possible fire-safety issues, sometimes to his wife's chagrin.

"You know, saying we can't sit that far away from the exit when we go to the movies or, she just kinda rolls her eyes and entertains me," he said.

Miller shared this story at the Ashland Area Safety Council's September meeting, where business leaders from around the county came together to hear Miller discuss fire safety in the workplace.

Miller went over best practices for fire safety and passing code inspections, broken down into a few categories. There are 10 different categories on the Fire Marshal Inspection Checklist, but he combined a few in the interest of time.

Every safety inspector has their own things they really notice and look out for, and for Miller the thing he focuses on are exits.

"The most important thing in an emergency is the ability to get out of it," Miller said.

To that end, buildings should have multiple unblocked, lit-up exits, Miller said.

Specifically, there has to be a path 36 inches wide that leads to every exit, doors have to be unlocked and easily opened, and fire doors have to be unobstructed, according to the Fire Marshal Inspection Checklist.

Exits also need to have working exit signs with backup batteries, and any emergency lights or exit signs have to be inspected monthly and annually.

It's important that exits are easily identifiable in case of a power outage, but also to avoid crowding at one exit because people like to go out the way they came in, Miller said.

He shared the story of The Station nightclub fire that happened in Rhode Island in 2003. Pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the headlining band, Great White, ignited flammable sound-proofing in the venue, according to an article by CBS News.

Within minutes, the entire building was engulfed in thick smoke and flames. Most of the crowd of over 450 people ran to the front door, where they came in. People quickly got stuck in the venue's entrance, blocking escape.

In the end, 100 people died and 200 were injured.

The Station also did not have fire sprinklers, which would have contained the fire long enough for everyone to escape, according to national fire investigators.

A building in Ashland County may or may not be required to have sprinklers depending on the size of the structure. But for those that do, it's important that there is nothing within 18 inches of the sprinkler heads, Miller said,

"Seasonally, we kind of go 'Hey, make sure you don't hang Christmas lights on them,' things like that," he said.

It's also important the sprinkler's water supply system is in working order. That means making sure valves and hose connections are working well, maintaining fire department connections (marked by FDC), and making sure there are no signs of physical damage, corrosion, or obstruction to the system.

Contrary to depictions in movies and TV, when a fire alarm is pulled, all the sprinklers do not go off, Miller said. Sprinklers only go off when the glass bulb inside of them break due to heat.

Even then, only those close to the heat will go off, not the entire building at once, he said.

Fire extinguishers are also an important line of defense against fires and are required in every building except for homes. They need to be conspicuously placed in easily accessible areas so that they are immediately available in the case of a fire, according to the checklist.

They should be placed along normal areas of travel, like hallways and exits. They should be mounted on hangers intended for extinguishers, placed in cabinets, or in wall recesses. 

Miller recommends having them mounted to the wall to prevent them moving around the building, he said.

"The problem with not mounting them is they tend to grow legs and move around. Or somebody will move it, somebody will put it in a cabinet, under a sink, it just goes away," he said.

Fire extinguishers don't take the place of a sprinkler system or alarm system, they're just extra tools for fire safety, he added.

Fire alarms and smoke detectors

For fire alarm panels, which control the fire alarms in a building, Miller recommends most businesses do not do anything with them beyond knowing where they are.

Qualified personnel are responsible for maintaining and testing fire alarms, and anyone who does not know what they're doing could mess up the system.

It's also important to have regular fire drills so people know where to go and what do do when an alarm goes off, according to the checklist.

For buildings that don't have a fire alarm or are not required to have a fire alarm, Miller recommends installing a combination smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector with a 10-year lithium battery and testing them frequently.

Even buildings with fire alarms are required to also have carbon monoxide detectors, he added.

It's also vital that people react appropriately when an alarm goes off or something seems wrong, instead of just disregarding it.

Miller shared a story from earlier this week when Goldberry Roasting Company had a small chimney fire, causing smoke to begin to fill the restaurant. When Miller arrived, smoke was already down to his head, but people were still sitting there drinking coffee, he said.

"I'm like, please leave, OK?"

Miller briefly touched on storage of combustible or hazardous materials since most businesses likely did not have any of these materials. But for those that do, it's important to store them in a special fireproof container, he said.

Every room and building has a maximum occupancy number that is based on square footage, he said. 

In a standing-only room, every person is allotted three square feet when calculating occupancy.

But in a shopping setting, like a clothing store, there are a lot of variations when it comes to how occupancy is calculated. Factories might have 100 square feet allotted per person when calculating occupancy, he said.

It's essential that businesses know their maximum occupancies, post them visibly, and ensure that it is never exceeded. 

"When you put that many people into spaces, bad things can happen, and not just fire things. If somebody does something crazy, which is always a concern this day and age, you go, 'What happens when all these people run toward an exit?'," he said.

Extension cords and electric panels

The main problem that the fire inspectors run into with extension cords is that they are often used in lieu of permanent wiring, Miller said. 

"We've seen them run through walls, across the ceiling, dropped down, holes drilled in walls, holes drilled in floors, run under carpet, stapled to the wall. I've seen entire buildings basically plugged into a work light extension cord and running like 40 different circuits off of it," he said.

Extension cords are often not protected or use lesser grades of wire, which increases the risk of a fire breaking out. 

The risk is also increased when multiple extension cords are plugged into one outlet, which draws heat and resistance, which in turn starts fires, he added. Only one extension cord should be plugged into an outlet at a time.

Miller recommends only using extension cords for small appliances like lamps or clocks, and when one is used he recommends plugging it into a surge protector.

Electrical panels, the hub of a building's electricity, are also important for fire safety. There should be three feet of clearance around the panel on all sides, and the door should be kept shut, he said.

"What we don't want is for either you to go, 'Hey, I blew a breaker, all my breakers blew,' I'm stumbling around in the dark and I walk up to my panel and trip over boxes, sweeper, floor wax or whatever it is, and fall into the electrical panel," he said.

Additionally, flammable materials should be kept away from the breaker and any unused breaker slots should have a filler plate installed for safety, according to the checklist.

These are all small recommendations that can add up to increased safety in the workplace, Miller said.

"These are things that you go, 'We're pretty safe here in my office, we're pretty safe where at work,' and we think we're in good shape. Just look at these little things and go 'We're even just a little bit safer.' Easy stuff, guys," he said.

You can review another fire safety checklist from the State Fire Marshal here.

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