Safety Committee

Fire Drill Issues

The focus of the meeting should be to discuss what all parties did correctly during the recent fire drills and what areas need improvement. The following questions are designed to help you arrive at some answers. They are also designed to stimulate your thinking in other areas that are related to fire safety. You are the eyes and ears of the facility. Your input is valuable and could help save a life. If you have a suggestion, please do not feel embarrassed, all input is important. Who knows, the very question or suggestion that you have may be able to help someone else.

EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN

  1. Does the facility have a written fire prevention plan?
  2. Does the plan describe the type of fire protection equipment and/or systems?
  3. Has the facility established practices and procedures to control potential fire hazards and ignition sources?
  4. Have emergency escape procedures and evacuation routes been developed and communicated to all employees?
  5. Do employees who remain behind to help evacuate residents know the proper evacuation techniques and procedures?
  6. Is the facility alarm system properly maintained and tested regularly?
  7. Is the emergency action plan reviewed and revised periodically?
  8. Do the employees know their responsibilities during an emergency, for reporting emergencies, and for reporting rescue and medical duties?
  9. Do employees know the difference between an apartment evacuation and an extended evacuation? And do they understand when to perform one and not the other?
  10. Do employees know where the Sprinkler Room is located?
  11. Do the employees know how to read the fire alarm display panel and find the location on the fire zone map?
  12. Do the employees know how to contact the alarm monitoring service?
  13. Are employees aware of the fire hazards of the material and processes to which they are exposed?
  14. Is the fire alarm system tested annually?
  15. Are sprinkler heads protected by metal guards when exposed to physical damage?
  16. Are portable fire extinguishers provided in adequate numbers?
  17. Are fire extinguishers mounted in readily accessible locations?
  18. Are fire extinguishers recharged regularly and then noted on the inspection tag?
  19. Are employees trained in the use of extinguishers and fire protection procedures?

EXITS

  1. Are all exits marked with an exit sign and illuminated by a reliable light source?
  2. Are the directions to exits, if not immediately apparent, marked with visible signs?
  3. Are doors, passageways, or stairways, that are neither exits nor access to exits and which could be mistaken for exits appropriately marked “NOT AN ECIT” or “STOREROOM”, and the like?
  4. Are all exit signs provided with the word “EXIT” in lettering at least five inches high and the stroke of the lettering at least a ½ inch wide?
  5. Are exit doors side hinged?
  6. Are all exits and fire lanes kept free of obstructions and unblocked?
  7. Are there sufficient exits to provide prompt escape in case of an emergency?
  8. Are the numbers of exits from the building appropriate for the building occupancy load?
  9. When workers must exit through glass doors, are the doors fully tempered and do they meet safety requirements for human impact?

EXIT DOORS

  1. Are doors which are required to serve as exits designed and constructed so that the way of exit travel is obvious and direct?
  2. Are windows (which could be mistaken for an exit) made of inaccessible by barriers or railing?
  3. Are exit doors able to open from the direction of exit travel without use of a key or any special knowledge or effort?
  4. When panic hardware is installed on a required exit door, will it allow the door to open by applying force of 15 pounds or less in the direction of the exit traffic?
  5. Where exit doors open directly onto any street or other area where other vehicles may be operated, are adequate barriers and warnings provided to prevent employees from stepping into traffic?

Facility Fire Evacuation Handout

I.Design and Construction Features:

A.Each building is broken into many buildings.

B.Buildings are separated by either heavy metal fire doors that are fire rated or solid wood doors that are fire rated and provide a barrier to smoke and fire. Fire ratings are on metal tags on the top of doors or on the side of doors.

E.Apartment doors are fire rated. They are either solid wood or doors with a wooden veneer and have an inner core of fire resistant material. Fire ratings are on metal tags on the top of doors or on the side of doors.

II.If the Alarm Sounds:

1.Smile and try to prevent a panic.

2.Walk briskly to the alarm panel, be careful walking around corners.

3.Read the fire alarm display panel and locate the problem on the fire zone map near the fire alarm panel.

4.Go to the problem area.

5.You have approximately three minutes from the time the alarm first sounds to locate the problem, determine if it is real or false. If it is false return to the front desk to call the alarm monitoring service. If it is a real fire evacuate residents.

6.A Red Call light outside the apartment door means fire inside.

7.A continuously Red LED on a smoke detector means it was activated.

III.Before Opening a Closed Door:

1.Place your hand on the door near the top.

2.Move your hand down the door.

3.If the door is hot do not open the door.

4.If the door is not hot then gradually open the door.

5.If the smoke is too strong or you feel unsafe, do not enter the apartment.

IV.To Evacuate An Apartment:

1.Do a thorough but quick visual scan of each room.

2.Remove the occupants to the nearest point of safety.

3.Close the apartment door.

4.If the fire alarm has not sounded pull the manual fire alarm by the nearest door exiting to the outside.

5.Alert other staff members of what you see by saying “Mr. Red.”

6.Assist Emergency personnel and stay out of their way.

V.To Perform An Extended Evacuation:

1.The first two people to arrive at the scene will form an evacuation team.

2.The team should go the danger area and remove residents to the nearest point of safety.

3.Other staff, as they arrive, should close all doors and assist in the evacuation process.

4.Residents should be removed from their apartment to the nearest point of safety, in the following sequence:

A.Evacuate residents from the fire area or apartment.

B.Evacuate residents from apartments immediately across from the fire room. (Smoke can travel across the hall and under the door.)

C.Evacuate residents from rooms on either side of the fire room.

D.Continue to evacuate all occupants to the other side of the metal fire barrier doors until all residents are safe.

5.Never block the fire lane.

6.Alert other staff members that you see by saying “Mr. Red.”

7.Assist Emergency personnel and stay out of their way.

VI.You have approximately three minutes to determine if this is real fire or a false alarm and return to the front desk.