Every
so often something dramatic is created that benefits the safety of
society. In the past fire protection systems were developed, such
as sprinklers, etc., to control fire once a fire had occurred, thereby
minimizing property loss. Research and development continues today
to bring forth new and advanced technology in this field.
There
are two sides to fire safety. Fire protection (devices) and fire prevention.
All safety oriented professionals in any field of health and safety
unanimously agree that prevention is the key
to the reduction of life / property loss and injury.
Fire
prevention involves education, organization and the
monitoring and control of fire hazards within a structure
and has to date only been minimally effective. This lack of effectiveness
is demonstrated by statistics which show that fires still strikes
at random and its losses fluctuate up and down
year to year.
The
global problem is that fire services do not have the manpower or resources,
to work one-on-one with businesses to develop prevention and emergency
plans. They are simply out numbered. Additionally, most fire organizations
do not provide this service. It is the building or business owner's
responsibility to provide a plan to the fire service representative.
Fire
safety consultants provide a valuable service of developing plans;
however, there is no standard format as each consultant has a different
perspective of how it should be done. Moreover, consultants can not
be on site daily to ensure the plan is actively maintained. As a result
most emergency plans are shelved to gather dust.
Many
countries around the world have codes, standards or regulations, which
require them to provide an emergency plan for their building(s), however,
few buildings have emergency plans, which meet these requirements.
Twenty
years ago a Fire Prevention Officer named Michael Lavergne saw that
more and more criteria for emergency planning was being legislated,
but there was no guidelines on how to develop and meet these criteria.
He was aware that there was too much random loss of property and life
as a result. He attributed this loss to a lack of education on proper
emergency planning procedures and prevention.
Mr.
Lavergne, a Canadian, now living in Barrie, Ontario, Canada starting
making plans, dreaming and thinking big. He had ideas on how to standardize
fire prevention and emergency planning, how to educate businesses,
and he realized that every building in the world regardless of laws
governing this requirements needs an effective emergency plan.
Twenty
years later after intense research, development and testing Mr. Lavergne
and his associate Robert Foster, also a long-time firefighter, have
launched a solution to this International problem through a company
called Global Fire Prevention Inc.
The
duo have developed a software package to standardize emergency planning,
fire safety and prevention that is applicable for any kind of building,
regardless of size, occupancy or use, be it a hospital, university,
high rise, industrial building or a single shop, etc.
"I
determined that if there was going to be a drop in fire losses, that
there had to be a system developed to accommodate education for the
masses," said Lavergne, President. "This is the only way that
you can drop statistics. "
"There
are many buildings that don't have effective emergency plans in
place, and the main reason is the complexity. Our software allows
anyone, regardless of expertise, to create a highly effective emergency
plan in minimal time," said Foster, Vice President.
Fire
Departments, Engineering firms, Architects and Consultants can also
use the software to better service their clients.
The
program entails using a member or members of the building's staff
to learn the software and manage the implementation of an emergency
plan for their building. The software is written in layman language,
making it easy for anyone to become highly versed in emergency planning,
safety and fire prevention practices.
"We
are the only company in the world that has developed an educational
software program which allows business to develop their own emergency
plan and provide for their fire safety and prevention program without
outside help," said Lavergne.
The
individual(s) who become versed in the finished plan passes down this
knowledge to members of the safety committee and staff/occupants through
meetings, briefings and training. And with proper education on emergency
planning, fire safety and prevention in the workplace will permeate
into the home environment, which can only result in fewer fires. Fewer
fires means lives saved and reduced injury, property and environmental
damage.
Another
plus about the software program is that it calls for daily, weekly,
monthly checks and inspections of fire hazards and fire protection
equipment. It's not just a book that sits on a shelf and gathers dust.
"It's
the constant monitoring of various degrees by staff members that takes
out the random element and replaces it with control", said Lavergne.
In
the 20 years of testing and development in several hundred buildings,
the incidence of fires in buildings using the Building Fire Safety
Planning System has been reduced by more than 90 per cent.
Another
benefit of the program is its usability Internationally. The software
program is currently provided in three versions: International, Canadian
and Ontario and they respectively comply with various standards, codes
and regulations utilizing time-proven emergency planning, fire safety
/ prevention techniques.
Global
Fire Prevention's
vision is to provide the best possible tool to the business world
to help reduce the tragic loss of life / property and injury globally.
And
their goal is to continue their research and development, provide
a high degree of service to their clients and establish partnerships
with companies, organizations and government to make widespread fire
prevention education a reality.
Global
wishes to acknowledge the following for their endeavors in Fire
and Life Safety and for their years of research, which has been
drawn upon to make this unique program possible.
