Key points:
- Office buildings and businesses in Denver with more than 10 employees must schedule a fire drill at least once per year.
- Scheduled drills ensure your employees know where all stairwells and exits are, and where to meet once evacuated.
- The need for a certified fire monitor can arise at the last minute, but prescheduled monitoring is the perfect time to schedule your next drill.
Fire watch isn’t always scheduled in advance, but when it is it’s the ideal time to conduct a fire drill. Whether it’s for hot work or system repairs, scheduled monitoring reminds you of your compliance requirements. Most businesses in the Denver Metro area must complete emergency evacuation drills at least once per year.
If your business has more than 10 employees, you’re required to have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). To minimize risk and ensure compliance, most businesses complete a third-party risk assessment. Your third-party partner can also create your EAP and a complaint drill schedule. Drill frequency varies by employee count and occupancy type. Schools and daycares require monthly drills.
Why Complete an Emergency Evacuation?
Evacuation drills ensure your team knows what to do in the event of an emergency. Unless you work in a high-risk industry, this isn’t standard information in most employee onboarding processes. Scheduled drills inform new hires and provide a refresher for tenured employees. They also identify areas of your building where you’re more likely to have a bottleneck.
Without drills, employees may not know:
- What your emergency systems sound like.
- All their exit routes and stairwells.
- Where to meet once evacuated.
What Is an Emergency Drill?
Often referred to as simply a “fire drill”, this term includes any type of emergency response drill. This could be for fire, earthquake, natural disaster, lockdown, or any other incident. It’s a way to boost employee confidence in the case of an emergency, by ensuring employees know how to respond.
What Are the Consequences of Skipping Emergency Drills?
Skipping mandated drills may result in fines from OSHA or the Fire Marshal. If you completed your drills but lack compliant documentation, you can also be fined.
Beyond fines, compliant drills in multi-tenant residential buildings may reduce your insurance rates. Colorado House Bill 25-1182 requires insurance companies to provide property-specific incentives for community-level mitigation acts.
Read more:
- What You Need to Know About Your Wildfire Risk Score
- Understanding Colorado’s Defensible Space Zones
- Fire Safety Protocols for Torch-Down Roofing
- Fire Monitoring Protocols for Mixed-Use Buildings
Why Complete a Drill Before a Scheduled Fire Watch?
Scheduled fire monitoring is a friendly reminder to ensure you’re up to date with your drills. Fire risk increases during hot work, and suppression and communication risk increase when your water is out, or fire alarm/suppression system is down.
If the timing works out, and the need to evacuate arises, what to do is fresh on your employees’ minds.
How Often Do Office Buildings Need to Complete Evacuation Drills?
Most non-residential high-rise buildings (Group B and Group M) must complete annual drills. This is also when it’s advised to review and update your Emergency Action Plan and test all safety systems. So that you don’t forget, keep a detailed monthly or quarterly operational checklist.
If your business manages high-risk materials, or tenants in your building have high-risk materials, drill frequency may increase to quarterly.
Who to Call for Fire Monitoring in Denver?
Don’t let our name deceive you, as Scout Security provides both fire guards and standard security. Many of our team members are dual-trained in both skills. Dispatch our team 24/7 for emergency response or preschedule us for scheduled maintenance and repairs.
