Emergency Evacuation Planning

1. Emergency Evacuation Planning

2. Fire in the workplace became a significant life safety issue when large factories began to appear during the Industrial Revolution. Since then, workplaces have evolved into large industrial and office complexes that house thousands of occupants during business hours. When fire or other hazards threaten these workplaces, safe evacuation of employees becomes a challenge.

3. Initial Planning • To provide minimum level of Safety in the event of a Fire, all Buildings – • must be properly constructed. • must provide for Fire Detection & Alarm Systems. • must have Fire Protection Systems. • must incorporate proper egress components. • must encourage human interface with the Fire protection & egress components.

4. Jurisdiction • There should be a nominated Authority having jurisdiction over development of procedures and codes. • “Authority having jurisdiction in the organization / office will be the individual responsible for approving equipment, materials, installation and a procedures”.

5. Fire Safety in High-rise Buildings • Requirements: • Must have a Fire safety manager responsible for maintaining fire emergency plans, co-ordinating activities of floor fire wardens and liaison with fire department. • Assign a fire warden at each floor of building. • Ensure fire warden’s receive regular training. • Make Fire warden’s responsible for safe evacuation of occupants on the floor and help those who need assistance.

6. FIRE OFFICER FOR BUILDINGS WITH HEIGHT MORE THAN 30 m A qualified Fire Officer with experience of not less than 3 years shall be appointed who will be available on the premises.

7. The Fire Officer • shall maintain the fire fighting equipment in good working condition at all times, • shall prepare fire orders and fire operational plants and get them promulgated. • Shall impart regular training to the occupants of the buildings in the use of fire fighting equipments provided on the premises and keep them informed about the fire emergency evacuation plan. • Keep proper liaison with city Fire Brigade. • Ensure that all fire precautionary measures are observed at the times.

8. Helipad For high rise building above 60 mtrs. in height provision for helipad should be made.

9. Human behaviour during Emergencies • Studies indicate that the action of people to an emergency condition relates to the under mentioned factors: • Individual’s assumed role • Previous experience • Awareness & Education • Personality • Perceived threat • Actions of others influence individual’s behaviour.

10. Emergency Evacuation Plan • Minimum elements of an Evacuation Plan must include : • Emergency escape procedures. • Escape Routes. • Employee procedures for those who conduct operations before they evacuate. • Procedures to account for all employees after evacuation completed. • Duties for employees designated to perform Rescue & Medical functions. • The preferred means of reporting emergencies. • The designated people/departments that can be contacted/alerted after an emergency. The plan must be in written format and reviewed periodically.

11. Means of Egress • Means of egress is an important element in evacuation planning and generally consist of following components: • Exit access: Space occupied and travels in reaching an exit (frequently a corridor or aisle way) • Exit: A protected path of travel usually an enclosed stairway in multiple-level building. • Exit discharge: The portion between the termination of an exit and a public way such as a public street or parking lot.

12. The Fire Evacuation Drill • The fire evacuation drill is a periodic emergency procedure to familiarize employees of a facility with location of means of egress components and ensure that they react properly in the event of an actual emergency.

13. The Fire Evacuation Drill • Objectives: • To enable the occupant to recognize the evacuation alarm. • To enable the occupant to take appropriate actions before evacuating. • To initiate evacuation process using the prescribed routes of egress under the emergency plan. • To enable occupant to provide assistance to visitors/ others experiencing difficulty. • To enable occupant to take evasive action if the selected means of egress is unsafe. • To make a report to the assembly area monitor at the assigned assembly point.

14. Frequency of Fire Evacuation Drills • Drills should be conducted as per the emergency plan once every three months for existing buildings during the first two years. Thereafter at least once every six months. • All occupants must participate • A written record of such drills should be kept on the premises for a three year period and readily available for fire brigade inspection.

15. Fire Drill Staff • Emergency Director • Dy. Emergency Director • Fire Wardens / Dy. Fire Wardens • Building Evacuation Supervisor • Emergency Response Team

16. Emergency Director • Be familiar with fire emergency plan. • Select, organize, train and supervise qualified building service employees for a fire party. • Responsible for availability and state of readiness of fire party. • Conduct fire & evacuation drills. • Responsible for designating, supervising and training of fire wardens for each floor. • Notify any negligence on part of designated individual to the owner. • Responsible for training and supervising activities of Building evacuation supervisor.

17. Emergency Director • In the event of fire: • Report to fire command station • Ensure fire department notified • Man fire command station • Direct evacuation procedures • Report conditions of fire to fire brigade on arrival. • Advice fire brigade in-charge on operation of fire command station.

18. Deputy Emergency Director • Perform duties of Emergency Director in his absence. • Assist Emergency director in organizing coordinating and supervising the evacuation drill.

19. Emergency Wardens • The occupants of each floor upon request of the owner/ person in-charge of the building make available suitable employees to be designated as Wardens/ Dy. Wardens by the Emergency Director. • The evacuation of each floor of building will be under the direction of such warden. • A Dy. Warden shall be provided each tenancy (for 700 mt2 of floor area) • Each warden should be aware of the fire safety plan, location of exits and fire alarm systems.

20. Emergency Wardens • Prepare organizational chart for each floor and give a copy to the Emergency Director. • Keep details all personal with physical disabilities. • Wear suitable identification during drills. • Search other areas for occupants before evacuating. • Perform head count after evacuation. • On alarm must position himself closed to the communication station of the floor.

21. Emergency WardensIn the event of Fire • Give priority for immediate evacuation of the fire floor & floors immediately above. • Supervise evacuation of two or more levels below fire floor as deemed necessary and inform FCS on his location. • Wardens must alert all occupants of the fire, immediately proceed as per emergency plan and inform FCS. • Advice not to use elevators (specially those servicing the fire floor) • Select safest stairway for evacuation based on location of fire. • Inform FCS on mode of evacuation by the occupants of his floor.

22. Building Evacuation Supervisor • Building evacuation supervisor is required at all times other than normal working or business hours when there is no Emergency Director. • He should be capable of directing evacuation of occupants as per emergency plan. • During fire emergency he shall man the FCS. • His training and supervision will be under the direction of Emergency Director.

23. Emergency Response TeamIn the event of Fire Alarm • Report to floor below the fire to assist in evacuation and provide information to FCS. • Endeavour to control spread of fire by closing doors etc. after evacuation. • Attempt containment of fire till arrival of fire brigade. • Leave one member on the floor below the fire to guide fire brigade. • After arrival of fire brigade, the fire party shall report to FCS. • Designate one member to act as Runner.

24. Drill Evaluator • The Emergency Director should invite experts from other buildings having requisite experience of conducting fire evacuation drills to evaluate the Fire drill. • He will monitor occupant actions during the fire drill and report his findings to the fire safety director after the completion of the drill.

25. Designate Areas of Refuge • Area of refuge must be considered as they offer alternative to complete evacuation. • It is defined as an area that is either • A storey in the building where it is protected through out by an approved & supervise automatic sprinkler system and has not less than two accessible rooms / spaces separated from each other by smoke resisting partitions. • A space located in a path of travel leading to a public way that is protected from effects of fire.

26. SAMPLE PRE-DRILL MEANS OF EGRESS CHECKLIST

27. Evacuation Drill Planning Form Drill coordinator: __________________________________________________________________ Date and time of planned drill: ______________________________________________________ Drill objective: _____________________________________________________________________ Drill evaluators/ assignment________________________________________________________ Drill staff/assignment: _____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Warden assignments are current and list is 'up to date.Y/N Comment: _________________________________________________________________________ List of employees requiring assistance is current?Y/ N Comment: _________________________________________________________________________ Fire department has been notified and invited to participate? Y / N Comment: _________________________________________________________________________

28. EVACUATION DRILL PLANNING FORM(cont’d) Building management has been notified? ___________________________________ Comment:_____________________________________________________________ Building security has been notified? Y/N Comment:_____________________________________________________________ Emergency plan has been reviewed and verified to be current? Y/N Comment: _____________________________________________________________ Building occupants/tenants have been trained on emergency plan? Y/N Comment: _____________________________________________________________ Means of egress has been verified as safe for use during drill? Y/N Date inspection was conducted:____________________________________________ Comment:_____________________________________________________________ Fire drill coordinator:______________________________ Date:_________________ Comments:____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Building manager approval: Signature:____________________________________ Date:____________________

29. Fire Drill Evaluation Drill monitor:___________________________________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________ Time of alarm:_______________________ Comments on evacuation staff response_______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

30. Fire Drill Evaluation (contd.)

31. Any Questions

32. The End