Evacuation & Fire Safety Plan

Fire Evacuation Plans

Fire evacuation plans shall include the following:

1. Emergency egress or escape routes and whether evacuation of the building is to be complete or, where approved, by selected floors or areas only.
2. Procedures for employees who must remain to operate critical equipment before evacuating.
3. Procedures for accounting for employees and occupants after evacuation have been completed.
4. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for rescue or emergency medical aid.
5. The preferred and any alternative means of notifying occupants of a fire or emergency.
6. The preferred and any alternative means of reporting fires and other emergencies to the fire department or designated emergency response organization.
7. Identification and assignment of personnel who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan.
8. A description of the emergency voice/alarm communication system alert tone and pre-programmed voice messages, where provided.

Evacuation Plans Are...

Investment in People

The mission statement is to save lives and minimize injuries.

Team Oriented

People will accept responsibilities more readily when they take part in developing the plan.

Action Oriented

• Practice
• Train
• Evaluate

Fire Safety Plans

Fire safety plans shall include the following:

1. The procedure for reporting a fire or other emergency.
2. The life safety strategy and procedures for notifying, relocating, or evacuating occupants.
3. Site plans indicating the following:
   1. The occupancy assembly point.
   2. The locations of fire hydrants.
   3. The normal routes of fire department vehicle access.
4. Floor plans identifying the locations of the following:
   1. Exits
   2. Primary evacuation routes.
   3. Secondary evacuation routes.
   4. Accessible egress routes.
   5. Areas of refuge.
   6. Manual fire alarm boxes.
   7. Portable fire extinguishers.
   8. Occupant-use hose stations.
   9. Fire alarm annunciator and controls.
   10. Sprinkler control valves
5. A list of major fire hazards associated with the normal use and occupancy of the premises, including maintenance and housekeeping procedures.
6. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance of systems and equipment installed to prevent or control fires.
7. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance, housekeeping and controlling fuel hazard sources.

Updated & Accessible Plans

Fire safety and evacuation plans shall be reviewed/updated annually or as needed because of changes to staff, occupancy or physical arrangement of the building. These plans need to be made available in the workplace and posted for employee review. Copy shall be provided to the Fire Prevention Bureau for approval before release to the employees.

Fire Evacuations Drills

Drills are to be conducted at quarterly intervals. Records are to be maintained indicating the following:

• Amount of Time Taken to Evacuate
• Date
• Staff Present
• Time
• Weather Conditions
• Who Conducted Drill

Seating Plan

A detailed seating plan shall include the information from the fire safety and evacuation plans as described above. Deviations from the approved plans shall be allowed provided the occupant load limit for the occupancy is not exceeded and the aisles and exit access ways remain unobstructed.

Announcements

In the following locales:

• Auditoriums
• Motion Picture Theaters
• Similar Assembly Occupancy Used for Noncontinuous Programs
• Sporting Events
• Theaters....

...an audible announcement shall be made not more than 10 minutes prior to the start of each program to notify the occupants of the location of the exits to be used in the event of a fire or other emergency. (Exception - In motion picture theaters, the announcement is allowed to be projected upon the screen in a manner approved by Fire Prevention.)