UTHSC-H Safety Liaison Training

1. UTHSC-H Safety Liaison Training UTHSC-H Environmental Health and Safety 713-500-8100

2. What is an “Area Safety Liaison”? • A person who assists with health and safety functions for a designated area within UTHSCH • May volunteer or be designated by unit supervisor • Replaces previous “fire warden” program, since functions are expanded beyond mere fire evacuations

3. Overall Program Goals • Improve building occupant safety during emergency situations • Provide volunteers with the information and tools they need to explain the UTHSC-H emergency response process to others in their department • Education and communication

4. Goals For Today • Kick Off the New ASL Program • Meet EH&S Staff • Meet Fellow ASL’s • Understand university emergency procedures • Orienting ASL’s with your role • Provide beneficial information and tools that will help coordination during emergencies

5. Biological Safety Bruce Brown Manager Safety Specialist Tyler Zerwekh Safety Specialist Scott Patlovich Robert Emery Executive Director, EH&S Bruce Brown Director, EH&S Radiation Safety Janet McCrary Manager Chemical Safety Kathleen Maness Acting Manager Environmental Protection Alan Lucas Manager Physical Safety Joseph Parham Manager Safety Specialist Jason Bible Safety Specialist Julie Broussard Safety Specialist Leon Brown Safety Specialist Jennifer Palmer Safety Specialist Jason LeBlanc Safety Specialist Selome Ayele Safety Specialist Marianna Korshukin Safety Specialist Reyes Torres Safety Specialist Pete Martinez Safety Specialist Dita Geary Safety Specialist (p/t) Mike Allen Safety Specialist (p/t) Jim McMillan Safety Specialist (p/t) Steve Newsome

6. Why Change? • Emergencies are not simply limited to fire • Awareness to man made disasters has increased • Lower fellow employee apprehension through education • Closure Procedures • Access to emergency information • What is going on “behind the scenes” • Build upon fire response procedures for other emergency situations • Needed an excuse to have an annual luncheon and emergency response bags

7. Natural Tornado Flooding Hurricane Tropical Storm Types of Foreseeable Emergencies • Man made • Fire • Building Evacuation • gas leak, bomb threat • Widespread Power Outage • Explosion • Aircraft collision • Terrorist threat • Civil disturbance • Release of hazardous material • Medical emergency • Auto accident • Criminal activity

8. ASL Duties and Responsibilities • ASL’s will play crucial role in the institutional safety program by: • Assisting with emergency evacuations and drills • Accounting for evacuated personnel • Assist in responding to emergency situations • Properly using portable fire extinguishers* or activating building alarms • Assisting with the identification and protection of mobility impaired individuals • Assistance with AED’s, first aid*

9. ASL Duties and Responsibilities • Answering questions or directing questions for appropriate resolution • Providing updates on changes to personnel, such as ASL’s or AASL’s • Notifying EH&S for corridor and exit blockages • Provide feedback to EH&S from the university community

10. Alternate ASL’s • To improve coverage for each area, an alternate ASL will also be designated • Responsibilities and time commitments will be identical to ASL

11. Most Likely Threat • Of all the foreseeable threats, a building fire is considered to be the most likely event to be encountered, and thus aggressively controlled • Rationale • Sources of ignition omnipresent • Sources of combustible materials are also omnipresent • Other threats are statistically more rare and/or seasonally dependent • Systems to address fire safety can serve as the foundation for addressing many of the other possible threats

12. Actual Alarm Event • A building fire alarm is activated by either • Pull station engaged by person encountering fire • Detection system senses smoke or fire • Water flow from sprinkler head • System falsely detects or malfunctions

13. High Rise Alarm Design(a high rise is 75 ft or taller) • Alarm sounds on affected floor, the floor immediately above and the floor immediately below • From experience, be aware that sound might be heard faintly on other floors, near speakers, or resonating through elevator shafts • If the alarm is on your floor, you’ll know it -- its really loud! 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

14. What To Do • Occupants on affected floors assemble at stairwell exit • Occupants should exit if they see smoke/fire or feel their safety is threatened • Automatic notifications to UTPD, FPE, and EH&S • UTPD dispatch calls HFD unless immediately notified by EH&S or FPE of “false alarm” (usually due to contractor activities) • UT Police remains at panel while FPE investigates origin – UT Police serves as contact for HFD upon arrival • Investigation could take a minimum of 10 – 15 minutes, so building occupants should expect the alarms to sound for at least this long

15. Automatic Notifications • When a building alarm activates: • UT Police dispatch receives an indication of alarm identifying building, floor, and actual device sending alarm • Facility Operations is automatically notified via a pager system, identifying building only • EH&S also notified automatically via pager system with building identification only

16. Fire Department Notification • UT Police dispatch immediately notifies Houston Fire Department unless immediately notified by officer, FO or EH&S that alarm is false • Once notified, Houston Fire Department will proceed to site to investigate, regardless of subsequent notifications

17. Immediate Response • Nearest UT Police and Facility Operations personnel proceed to building alarm panel • Panel display will identify origin of alarm. Panel may be silenced at this point, but horns, strobes, and recorded announcement continue • UT Police makes standard announcement • UT Police remains at panel while FO investigates origin – UT Police serves as contact for HFD upon arrival • Note – investigation could take 5 -10 minutes, so building occupants should expect the alarms to sound for at least this long

18. If Alarm is Erroneous • False alarms are usually caused by dust from construction activities, accidental damage to a device, or device not properly isolated while conducting alarm system maintenance • If found to be erroneous, FPE return to panel • Silence building alarm, reset panel • Make “all clear” announcement • Provide necessary information to HFD • Notify Public Affairs or designated building contact, who in turn will distribute building e-mail describing event (pre-written text with inserted facts)

19. If Alarm is Real • Responding FPE notify UTPD panel operator to evacuate building • Occupants are notified to evacuate the building • If fire is quickly extinguished by building occupant or sprinkler system, the building may not be evacuated • Area Safety Liaisons assist with maintaining inventory of persons • Assemble persons at safe distance from building • If fire localized, FPE may attempt to use appropriate portable fire extinguisher to put fire out. If attempt unsuccessful, FPE to evacuate area as well. • HFD will be seeking information on • Location of fire and source • Location of injured, trapped, or mobility impaired persons • Report necessary information to Fire Chief

20. Post-Event Steps • Public Affairs distributes information to key UTHSCH leadership and media • Notifications for UTS for insurance • UTPD secure site • FO coordinate clean up, but considers preservation of evidence, using existing disaster recovery contracts • Legal involved for personal and/or regulatory notifications

21. UTHSC-H Closure Procedures

22. Emergency Responders and Site Coordinators • EH&S • Facility Operations • Houston Fire Department • UTPD • Public Affairs

23. Public Affairs Emergency Notification Example SAMPLE EMERGENCY WEATHER ALERT FROM PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Be prepared for hazardous weather The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for the remainder of today. Tropical Storm ___________ is rapidly moving to the west across the central Gulf of Mexico. A ______ watch is in effect for ____________ until ______. See National Weather Service storm tracking at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/ In a serious weather emergency, UTHSC-H employees and students may find out whether the institution is officially open by the following means: • Tune in to any of these radio stations: KILT-AM 610, KILT-FM 100.3, KPRC-AM 950, or KTRH-AM 740. Local television stations KHOU, KHWB, KPRC, KRIV, KTRK, KXLN 45 and KTMD 48. • Employees with offices in the Medical School, John Freeman Building, Hermann Professional Building, or Jesse Jones Library Building may call (713) 500-7999. • Harris County Psychiatric Center employees should call (713) 741-5001. • All other employees and students may call (713) 500-9996. • Closings and other emergency conditions will be posted on the Web at http://www.uthouston.edu and http://www.uth.tmc.edu. If these communication media are out of order or do not provide adequate information, employees should call their supervisors. All employees and supervisors are reminded to keep home phone numbers with them at home so that they can reach each other in case of emergency. Employees defined by their department as “essential’ and employees and students with clinical obligations at hospitals and other locations should check with their supervisors.

24. Emergency Response Bags • Contain supplies that could be useful in an emergency situation • Use contents as needed and call EH&S for restocking • Take bags with you in the event of an evacuation • Return bags to EH&S if duties change

25. Packet Review • ASL Responsibilities and Procedures • Emergency Contact Numbers • Fire Extinguishers • Evacuation Request Form • AED/CPR lists and locations • ESRP • Hallway Clearance Policy • Sample Public Affairs Alert • ASL Emergency Kit • Building Specific Information • List of ASL’s • Building Site Plan with Recommended Assembly Locations

26. Assembly Locations For information on assembly locations please contact Environmental Health and Safety at 713-500-8100.

28. How to determine a closed stairwell Exit Sign will Be covered Alternate Exit Route Not an exit sign There will be postings on the door

29. Design of new stairwells: the egress path From ground level, exit up a ½ floor In the event of a building alarm, a gate will deploy to direct people along the exit path From the first floor, exit down a ½ floor

30. Results of the Great UTHSC-H Nuisance Fire Alarm Challenge