Fire protection in hotels is a particularly important topic, as hospitality establishments are exposed to an increased fire risk due to operational peculiarities, such as the storage of large quantities of flammable cleaning agents, the ownership of sauna facilities and large kitchens. In addition, a large number of people stay in hotels, who are exposed to danger to their lives in the event of a fire. The company’s existence is also threatened by a fire. For this very reason, there are some important rules for the hotel industry, as well as some useful tips to increase safety. You will learn all this in this article!
Classification and objectives of fire protection
Roughly speaking, fire protection in hotels can be divided into 3 categories: Structural fire protection, plant fire protection and organizational fire protection. All together, the aim is to prevent the outbreak of a fire or, if a fire does break out, to contain the spread of fire and smoke, to enable safe exit from the hotel and to allow the emergency services to intervene effectively. Furthermore, this should also avoid the risk of a loss of image, protect property and assets, and limit business interruption.
Structural fire protection
Structural fire protection includes, for example, the existence of escape routes. Each room in which guests or employees may be located must be accessible from two different escape routes. These escape routes must also have safety lighting. The specific guidelines are defined in the respective country regulation.
Furthermore, there are regulations on heating, which must be central heating. Combustible materials must be at least 0.5 meters away from the heater, in the direction of the jet even 1 meter.
There should also be properly installed electrical systems and ventilation and lightning protection systems.
Plant fire protection
The alarming of guests in case of fire by fire alarm, the possibility of fire notification to the fire department by the presence of a telephone and automatic fire extinguishing systems, for example a sprinkler system, are part of the plant fire protection.
Organizational fire protection
A fire safety officer can be appointed for your hotel. In some countries, this is even mandatory. This person is responsible for identifying and assessing hazards in advance and eliminating them to prevent damage.
In addition, there should be a fire safety regulation prepared in consultation with the fire department, which contains all the rules and behavior in case of emergency.
Orientation maps of the hotel must be available in each guest room. These make it much easier for guests to reach escape routes. In addition, behavioral instructions for your guests to avoid fires should be available in all common languages.
There should also be regular fire drills and fire safety training for your staff so that they are best prepared for emergencies.
Don’t forget your ski room when you take action!
Of course, your ski room can not be neglected in the fire safety measures in the hotel. In order to make your guests’ stay in the ski room as safe as possible, it is especially important that escape routes are kept clear and good ventilation is provided. There should be no tripping hazards due to objects lying around. For this it is worth having good stowage facilities for ski equipment. Lockers or ski and pole hangers are suitable for this purpose and can be used to keep the floor clear.
You still have questions? We will be happy to answer your questions and advise you in an individual meeting. Write to us at info@skiraum.at or simply call us at +43 5474 5500.
Greetings from Pfunds
Your team Regensburger!
Sources:
https://vds.de/fileadmin/Website_Content_Images/VdS_Publikationen/vds_2082_web.pdf
https://www.hotelier.de/lexikon/b/brandschutz-hotel
https://www.hogast.at/plus-punkt/plus/brandschutz-ein-hogast-leitfaden