On the heels of last month’s well-attended Considerations for Warehouse Fire Safety webinar for contractors, installers, engineers, facility managers, and code officials, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released a Warehouse Fire Safety Fact Sheet.

The new resource provides warehouse safety statistics; identifies key benchmarks that are available for those responsible for warehouse safety; and summarises best practices for keeping storage structures, contents and occupants safe from harm.

With more and more businesses looking for storage space to meet online shopping and shipping demand, warehouse fire safety is at the forefront these days – or should be.

Several recent large scale warehouse fires including the epic explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, a suspicious fire at an Amazon distribution center in Redlands, California, and a relentless blaze at a recycling facility in South Carolina have also prompted interest in warehouse fire safety.

NFPA research shows that warehouse fires happen at a frequent rate with an average of 1,410 warehouse fires, two deaths, 20 injuries, and an estimated $159.4 million in direct property damage annually.

To help warehouse operators and code officials reduce risk, NFPA developed a new at-a-glance fact sheet that draws on the guidance found in NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. The piece covers:

• Warehouse Fire Data
• Responsibility for Safety
• Commodity Classification
• Sprinkler Design
• Management of Change
• Inspection, Testing and Maintenance
• Fire Prevention Measures
• Importance of ITM

NFPA has a myriad of resources related to warehouse fire safety including the recent warehouse fire safety webinar, incident information, reports, and suppression related research including new information on Early Suppression

Fast Response (ESFR) sprinklers,  which are often installed in warehouses to avoid installation of in-rack sprinklers.