According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in 2020 a fire department responded to a fire somewhere in the U.S. every 23 seconds, and many of these occurred in commercial establishments.
With those statistics in mind, if you don’t already have a customized, commercial fire alarm system installed in your place of business, then it’s time to start thinking of installing a new, customized commercial fire alarm system. Protect the business you’ve worked so hard to establish.
What is a Customized, Commercial Fire Alarm System?
The short, simple answer to that question is that a customized, commercial fire alarm system is specifically designed for your place of business, providing protection for every square foot of your establishment.
In contrast, a generic system you may have installed in the past just doesn’t give you that kind of complete protection. Your older system may include fire alarms, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers, but the chances are very good that this system does not monitor and protect every area of your business. And for good measure, keeping an older system up to code becomes increasingly difficult and expensive as replacement parts become difficult, and perhaps impossible, to acquire.
Reasons to Upgrade Your Fire Alarm System
Approximately 100,000 business fires occur annually, costing business owners over $2 billion in losses. Amazingly, about 52% of the largest business fires occur in establishments that either have no smoke detectors or smoke detectors that are not working properly.
Given those realities, here are five good reasons to upgrade to a modern commercial fire alarm system.
1. Complete Security
Business establishments, like humans, come in different shapes and sizes. In the case of a business, your floor plan might have oddly shaped spaces, hallways, and smaller offices, and some of these might not be adequately covered by smoke detectors. Consequently, if a fire breaks out in one of these non-traditional spaces, it may not be detected until it’s raging and out of control and inflicting huge amounts of damage.
In contrast, a system designed specifically for your business and installed by professionals will provide the complete fire alarm protection you need.
2. Comprehensive Protection
A commercially installed system provides far more complete protection than traditional smoke detectors and fire alarms. A commercial system should include:
- Two-way voice communication
- Continuous monitoring of all areas of your business
- Both cellular and landline monitoring
- Remote system access
- 24/7 professional monitoring
In short, this kind of system provides safety for your establishment around the clock.
3. Lower costs for maintenance
With a professionally installed commercial fire alarm system you’ll have a warranty to cover any technical issues that might arise, as well as 24/7 technical support for any needed repairs or replacements. All of this support means small issues are detected and corrected before they become major problems, greatly reducing your maintenance costs.
4. Lower insurance rates and tax breaks
Many insurers will offer lower rates to businesses that install a commercial fire alarm system, and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2019 allows small businesses to deduct the cost of installing a fire alarm system as an expense that reduces your taxable revenue.
Combined, these two benefits can result in significant savings for your business.
5. Much faster response times
Typically, older alarm systems will sound an alarm when they detect smoke or fire, but they don’t notify the fire department. Instead, someone has to do that manually. Modern alarms systems, in contrast, automatically notify your fire department, greatly reducing response time and limiting the likelihood of serious property damage.
Fire Alarm Protection from Alert Protective Services
For the very best in fire alarm systems for commercial buildings, you need to contact Alert Protective Services. Since 1982 our fire alarm contractors in Chicago have protected both businesses and homes with the help of the latest in fire detection technology.
With a commercial fire alarm system from Alert Protective Services you’ll get:
- Local monitoring – We monitor our systems 24/7 from a UL monitoring system here in Chicago, and not every fire alarm company offers that kind of local monitoring.
- Flexible, customized installation – All components in our systems are customized specifically for your business. We will assess your residential or business needs to choose the best of type of fire alarm system for you.
- Comprehensive solutions – From installation of an automatic fire alarm and sprinkler system to routine maintenance and monitoring, we’re always at your side with comprehensive fire alarm protection.
For a free, no-obligation commercial fire alarm system quote, contact Alert Protective Services today.
