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EMERGENCY EVACUATION - Lewes Campus

The following information is the basic Emergency Evacuation Procedure for all buildings on the Lewes campus.

Fire Action

Any person discovering a fire

  1. Sound the alarm
  1. Dial 9-999 to call fire brigade
  2. If you have been trained and feel that it is safe to do so, attempt to fight the fire using the equipment provided
  3. If this fails, evacuate immediately. Ensure that no-one is left in the room and close the door behind you
  4. Leave the building by the nearest designated route
  5. Report to the assembly point
  6. Inform CliffeReception

On hearing the fire alarm

  1. Leave the building by the nearest designated route
  1. Close all doors behind you
  1. Report to the assembly point

Do not take risks.

Do not return to the building for any reason until authorised to do so.

Do not use lifts.

A Fire Action notice will be displayed at each Fire Call Point in the College. Teaching staff will draw the attention of their students to the notice at the beginning of every term. Staff and students are requested to familiarise themselves with the procedure. If necessary, teaching staff will conduct students through a simulated evacuation by walking the evacuation routes.

Please note that the route for evacuation may be different to the normal way of entering the building. Evacuation routes are indicated by green and white signs - the white arrow indicates the direction to take.

Instructions to College Teaching Staff

  • Upon hearing the alarm sounders, all class activities will cease and the Lecturer will instruct students as to the designated route indicated by green and white directional signs to their particular assembly point.
  • Lecturers will clear the teaching area of students, ensuring where possible and appropriate that all windows are shut; all power and gas supplies are off, before closing the door as they leave that area.
  • Lecturers and students will then proceed to their assembly areas by the designated escape route. Once outside, Lecturers should assemble their classes at the assembly area, reporting any missing students to the Emergency Control Officer as quickly as possible.
  • All staff have a responsibility to ensure and encourage the passage of people away from the College frontage to their respective assembly areas particularly during break periods when students will not be in class groups.
  • NO STUDENT may be dismissed or allowed to leave the assembly area until the all-clear is given by the Emergency Control Officer
  • Lecturers with disabled students must discuss with their respective Curriculum Manager suitable provision for the evacuation of disabled students in advance of their admission to the College buildings.

It is expected that all teaching staff will maintain control of students during an evacuation, whether they were teaching or not at the time of the alarm especially in the roadways adjacent to the assembly areas.

Instructions to College Support Staff

  • Upon hearing the alarm sounders, all office activities will cease and staff where appropriate, should without risk to themselves make secure any monies or confidential material. Staff should then proceed to their assembly areas by the designated escape route indicated by green and white directional signs, ensuring where possible that all windows are shut before closing the door as they leave.
  • Once outside, staff should assemble together as a group at the designated assembly point.
  • Report to the Emergency Control Officer names of any staff who may be still in the building.
  • All staff have a responsibility to ensure and encourage the passage of people from the building and also away from the College frontage to their respective assembly areas.
  • NO STAFF may be dismissed or allowed to leave the assembly area until the all-clear is given by the Emergency Control Officer.
  • The permission to silence the alarm sounders can only be given by the Officer-in-charge from the Fire Brigade.

Evacuation procedures for disabled persons

In the event of a building evacuation, whether by emergency or practice drill, the following procedure to assist and disabled person should be adopted:

  • All persons, including disabled, should be guided to the designated fire exit from the occupied room.
  • Green and white emergency exit signs will indicate the evacuation route.
  • From the exit point, the disabled persons should be guided to the designated assembly point away from the building.
  • Disabled persons evacuating from above ground level should be guided to a point of refuge (i.e. stairwell, landing) which will be signed with a green and white refuge sign. Lifts must not be used for evacuation.
  • The refuge point affords fire and smoke protection for approximately 30 minutes.
  • The evacuation plan is designed to ensure that assistance will arrive at this point within 20 minutes.
  • It is vitally important that the Emergency Control Officer is made aware regarding the number and location of any persons left at refuge points so that Facilities staff and the emergency services can be informed.

Post Evacuation

The permission to reoccupy the building is given by the Emergency Control Officer following advice from the emergency services and/or Facilities personnel. Under no circumstances should staff or students re-enter the building until they are told to.

Practise Emergency Evacuations

Regular practise emergency evacuation sessions will be held during the year. These will take place at least twice per year.

ALL STAFF MUST LEAVE THE BUILDINGS DURING EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS

ASSEMBLY POINTS

Building / Location / Notes
Southover / Grassed area at rear of building / For all exits other than main entrance.
Grassed area at front of building / For main entrance only
Cliffe / Main car park between Firle and Caburn House / Main entrance, rear and east of building emergency exits
Medwyn car park / West exits only
Firle House / Main car park between Firle and Caburn House
Performing Arts / Main car park between Firle and Caburn House
Art Block / Medwyn car park

It is essential that staff and students move away from the building and not obstruct the footpaths. This will enable the emergency services to gain access to the buildings without undue hindrance.

The Role of the Emergency Control Officers (ECO's)

The function of the ECO is to:

control the evacuation.

following information given, determine that the building is completely empty.

determine the number and position of any trapped person(s).

liaise with the emergency services.

control the assembly point

advise evacuees that it is safe to return back into the building.

The ECO will go to the front of the assembly area immediately the alarms are sounded to receive and collate the evacuation reports from college staff and liaise with Facilities staff and the emergency services.

Should the ECO receive reports of any trapped persons, this information should be immediately communicated to the emergency services and the Facilities Manager or Duty Manager.

In the event of the nominated ECO not being available, they should deputise someone to act in their absence.

It is important that the ECO remains visible at all times. A fluorescent waistcoat is provided to assist with this requirement. Staff who report to the Emergency Control Officer should be told to return to their group to await further instructions.

ECO’s are provided with a mega-phone, this is to be used to direct evacuees away from the building to a safe area and to relay any information or instructions as necessary. ECO's are reminded to speak slowly and clearly in an authoritative manner, repeating any instruction if necessary.

It is essential that the instruction "you may return to your building" only be given when advised to by the emergency services or the Estates Manager/Duty Manager.

THE ROLE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL

DURING EMERGENCY EVACUATION PRACTICES

1.To monitor the clearance of the zone allocated to you i.e. to check that all staff, students and visitors have vacated the rooms in your zone.

2.To ensure that the doors to the rooms in your zone have been closed.

3.To ensure that people leave the building quickly and calmly by the quickest escape route.

4.To guide people to the appropriate emergency assembly point.

5.To report to the Emergency Control Officer (identified by wearing the bright yellow jacket) the presence of people in the designated refuge areas.

6.To report to the Emergency Control Officer that your zone has been cleared and notify them of incidents or problems that occurred during the practice. For example, a blocked fire exit, a point of congestion during evacuation or other delays during evacuation.

DURING EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS -including false alarms.

1.Fire Marshal’s should leave the building from wherever they are by the quickest and safest route. They should not attempt to return to their zone from a different part of the building.

2.If on their route out of the building a fire marshal sees people trapped in a room, the cause of the alarm or anything else of importance then this should be reported to the Emergency Control Officer.

3.Fire Marshal’s are not expected to put their own lives at risk by attempting to rescue people or deal with the cause of the emergency.

Lewes Examinations

Information for invigilators

Please refer to the boards’ instructions in the JCQ booklet (pages 14/15)

Note the time accurately.

Reassure candidates that allowance will be made for the interruption. Ask them to remain silent as they evacuate the building.

All question papers and scripts should be left on desks and the room locked.

SouthoverBuilding – evacuate via the main entrance at the front of the building to the grass bank by Mountfield Road.

Cliffe Building, Firle House and the Performing Arts Centre – evacuate to the grass area just beyond the Performing Arts Centre (at the far right of the buildings as you look at them from the front), at a safe distance but in the general area of the south east corner. Keep them separate from the main group of evacuees.

Keep the candidates isolated and under careful supervision until told it is safe to return. They are not allowed to discuss the examination.

Make a note of the time when the examination resumes.

Allow full time allocation.

An incident report is sent to the examining board(s) with a request for special consideration.