Fire Prevention Plan

This plan must be in writing if you have more than 10 employees. But since this is probably the easiest of the written plans to prepare, the CVMA suggests that all employers, even those with 10 or fewer employees, keep a written copy available. Everyone is required to have a plan.

At a minimum, the following items must be addressed in your Fire Prevention Plan:

• Potential fire hazards and their proper handling and storage procedures.
• Potential ignitions sources and their control procedures.
• The type of fire protection equipment or systems that can control a fire.
• Names or job titles of those responsible for maintaining fire prevention and control equipment or systems.
• Names or job titles of those responsible for the control of accumulation of flammable or combustible waste materials.
• Housekeeping procedures designed to control accumulations of flammable and combustible waste materials and residues.
• Training, including informing employees of the fire hazards to which they are exposed, and a review of the Fire Prevention Plan.
• Maintenance of equipment and systems installed in the workplace to prevent fires.

The written plan must be kept in the workplace and made available for employee review. The CVMA suggests putting this written safety document in a ½ inch, 3-ring binder along with your IIPP, Emergency Action Plan and Hazard Communication Program and storing the binder in an area readily accessible to employees. Only these four documents should be in this binder, nothing else.

If you have more than the minimum requirements for fire prevention or control equipment, you may wish to add a description of this equipment, including its locations and maintenance procedures.

After appropriate changes (if any) have been made, print out and sign your Fire Prevention Plan. This plan should also be reviewed and signed annually.