Fire safety, an essential service during the pandemic
Maintenance companies have not only continued to perform their jobs in hospitals, pharmacies, residence homes and other critical infrastructures, but some of them have also recycled themselves and have reactivated new production lines against the coronavirus. The President of TECNIFUEGO, Adrián Gómez, reveals the process.
Fire safety services have proven to be one of the essential activities during the coronavirus pandemic. As explained by Adrián Gómez, President of TECNIFUEGO (Spanish Association of Fire-Prevention Companies), during confinement, maintenance of this type of equipment was classified by the Government as an essential activity. “Therefore, companies that performed this work in hospitals, pharmacies, residence homes, critical infrastructures and other essential places were able to guarantee that the safety systems were maintained within their regular schedules by specialised and certified companies”.
But these maintenance companies not only took care of preventing fire, they went one step further. “Some of them have recycled themselves and have reactivated new production lines, providing R+D+i in equipment to fight the pandemic, such as air purifiers, disinfectant gels, high-protection face-masks, disinfection of urban elements, etc.”
The new normal
Starting on the 21st of June, in the new period called “the new normal”, the remainder of establishments opened their doors and began to request the pertinent maintenance, according to the time periods established by legislation (Regulations on Fire Protection Installations, RIPCI), to guarantee that the equipment is as efficient as when it was installed. “During this period an increase in fires was noted, and we believe that it was due to neglecting maintenance tasks, mainly in industries and hotels, which led us to launch an informative campaign on the priority of maintenance and replacement of the equipment required to guarantee the safety of people and assets”.
Now, during this second wave that is causing new confinements, the fire protection sector has begun a new awareness campaign under the motto “Maintenance, key to safety” that aims to raise awareness on the vital and strategic importance of maintenance of fire protection systems in buildings. It has made available to professionals a “Basic technical guide on the need for maintenance of the passive protection systems in fire-fighting installations” that is free on the website www.tecnifuego.org
Active and passive protection
The President of TECNIFUEGO said that the peculiarity of the fire protection systems is precisely that they are silent and are only activated when there is a fire, therefore maintenance of both active and passive protection is the guarantee that the equipment is one hundred per cent operational.
He also said that specialised fire safety companies are active and carrying out their essential work in all types of buildings, such as hospitals, residence homes, logistics warehouses, critical installations (telecommunications, electricity, gas...), supermarkets, pharmacies, etc.
TECNIFUEGO video on fire protection during the health crisis: https://youtu.be/FUbbNvNSWL8