Essential Business and COVID-19

As more and more states issue stay-at-home orders that require non-essential businesses to shut down, NAFED has received several calls asking if the service and maintenance of life safety and fire protection equipment and systems is considered an essential business.
 
We have reviewed several of the state orders and descriptions regarding essential businesses. We have also had discussions with others in the industry, and our consensus opinion is that YES, the installation, service, and maintenance of life safety and fire protection equipment is an essential business.
 
Although your operations are essential, you must remember that business is not “as usual.” You must take all the safety precautions that are currently required. Some actions that you should consider are:

• Can some of your employees work from home?
• Stagger arrival times for technicians, so they aren’t all in the shop at the same time.
• Can shop and office workers be separated by 6-foot distances?
• Stagger break and lunch times.
• Remind employees to WASH THEIR HANDS PROPERLY (20 seconds of lather before rinse).
• Remind employees to practice safe precautions when they are at customers' facilities.
• Provide disposable gloves and remind employees that they should wear and throw them away whenever they change environments or touch other surfaces.
• Ensure that employees are provided with the proper PPE if they have to go to any facility that treats or may have individuals that have or have been exposed to COVID-19. If you don't have PPE or do not know what is required, make it the responsibility of the customer to provide the required PPE.
• WASH YOUR HANDS.

 
NAFED along with FEMA and the Government Regulations Committee are monitoring the situation and a paper is being prepared for submittal to state and provincial agencies. Mark Conroy of Brooks Equipment is coordinating these efforts.
 
Visit the CDC, NIOSH, and your state's website for additional information.
 
There will be other changes to your operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is important to remember to be safe.

We also have received additional guidance from industry partners and the Department of Homeland Security regarding essential operations during this time:
Guidance for Maintaining Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems Regardless of Occupancy Status (NFPA)
Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce (DHS - Cyber & Infrastructure Security Agency)