emergency EVACUATION DRILLS
Most
people have never experienced a life threatening event such as a fire,
explosion, hostage crisis or terrorist attack. They have no idea how fast fire
can spread or how quickly visibility can be obscured, even during daylight
hours. They are not familiar with the phenomenon of flashover, which can
quickly turn a room or corridor into a blazing inferno in a split second. Often,
people will spend time they can’t afford confirming that there is a fire,
explosion, other emergency or gathering up valuables. They also tend to try to
leave by their customary route, even in the face of a serious hazard.
Rehearsing safe behaviors is the only way to be sure that they will be used
when necessary.
The
purpose of emergency evacuation drills is to ensure the safe and efficient use
of exits and pathways leading to those exits. Drills condition building
occupants to evacuate buildings in a safe and orderly manner. This conditioning
reduces or prevents the panic that has been responsible for the majority of the
loss of life in major disasters. Order and control are the primary purposes of
the drill. Speed in emptying buildings, while desirable, is not in itself an
object, and should be made secondary to the maintenance of proper order and
discipline.
It
is worth emphasizing the need for practice. Emergency evacuation drills should
be planned to evacuate all building occupants to an area of safety in an
orderly manner, as promptly as possible. The drill is an exercise in
discipline, not speed. No individuals should be permitted to remain in the
building during the drill. No one should be excused from participating in the
drill. If an emergency evacuation drill is considered merely as a routine
exercise from which some individuals may be excused, there is a grave danger
that those individuals may respond improperly during an actual emergency.
Drills
should be unannounced and the fire alarm system should be used to alert
occupants so they will become familiar with the sound of the fire alarm. They
should be conducted at unexpected times to avoid the sense of a routine in
conducting drills.
Drills should be conducted during the early part of
each session for both day and evening classes so students and employees will be
familiar with emergency procedures for the buildings where they work or attend
classes.
For
those locations where classes are not conducted according to the traditional
session schedule, i.e.
Drills
should be designed to familiarize occupants with all available means of exits,
particularly emergency exits that are not habitually used during the normal
occupancy of the building.
All exits should be used, but occasional drills
should simulate exit routes that are blocked due to smoke, fire or debris.
Occupants must understand that elevators will not operate after the fire alarm
system has been activated.
All
drills should simulate notification of the fire department.
There
should be an established routine for a complete check of the building to ensure
no one has been left behind.
When
building occupants are safely assembled outside, a head count or roll call is
to be performed by faculty and supervisors to account for all building
occupants.
After
each drill, a meeting of site managers should be held to evaluate the success
of the drill and to solve any problems that may have occurred during the
evacuation process.
Reference:
- NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, 2003
edition Section 4.7 and 2004
Safety/Environmental
Services