An occupant evacuation will probably constitute one of the most significant and challenging emergency events that a building will face.

As a child in school, we always looked forward to the annual fire drill. We were able to get out of school, feel the excitement as the alarms sounded, assemble on the playground, maybe even see a fire truck or two and have a period of “supervised hooky.” Of course now, as adults, we dread the fire drill. How dare we be interrupted? What about that important conference call we are supposed to have? It’s not a real fire so why do I have to leave? We just don’t have time for such nonsense!

But in reality, fire drills are critically important for schools, businesses, office buildings, hospitals, even apartment complexes and condos. Practice saves lives! As horrific as the terror attacks on the World Trade Center were, 15,000 occupants in the twin towers were safely evacuated on September 11, 2001! This was due to a very structured evacuation protocol, excellent building safety systems (that had been upgraded since the 1993 bombing) and on-going tenant training and practice drills.

Types of Building EvacuationsBuilding evacuations can occur in response to a variety of emergency situations such as a security threat (active shooter, bomb threat, etc.), report of fire, actual smoke or fire, activation of a fire detection device (like a pull station), weather event, maintenance problem/issue or other emergency. They can also be a planned event to test the readiness of a building’s occupants to prepare them to deal with an actual emergency.

Although evacuation drills are disruptive to a building’s operations and business continuity, they are essential and - in many jurisdictions – legally required.

There are three types of building evacuations:n Partial: where one or more floors or areas of the building are evacuated; typically this occurs when a fire alarm is activated and the alarms on the three floors most immediately impacted by the alarm are evacuated first (floor of the alarm; one floor above and one floor below the alarmed floor).

n Full: where the entire building is evacuated; this is typically ordered during a fire drill or a major emergency.

n Shelter-in-place: where occupants are instructed to remain in the building and assemble in a pre- determined location or area (such as a basement; on their floors; locked in their offices, etc.); this most generally occurs during a weather or security emergency.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires that a written emergency action plan needs to be in place for any building or facility having more than 10 employees. Any plan – large or small – should contain the following elements:

n Written evacuation plann Duties and responsibilities of building/company management and evacueesn Identification of what type of emergencies would necessitate a partial, full or shelter-in-place evacuationsn Use of “fire wardens” to assist occupants evacuate (discussed below)n Floor diagrams that show the exit routes (primary and secondary) to evacuation stairwells or doorsn Well-marked fire exitsn Regular testing of fire alarms, building PA system, fire exit signs, stair- well lighting, stairwell pressure fans and exit doorsn Designated assembly areas for occupants to go to once they are outside the buildingn Accommodations for disabled or physically challenged occupantsn Evacuation and accounting process for visitors and contractorsn Plan testing n Occupant education and training

In multi-floor or multi-tenant buildings, it also is suggested that management designate occupant representatives to serve as “fire wardens” whose job will be to help get people out of their assigned area and then account for these persons once they are in their assembly area. This is very important in a real emergency so rescuers can be alerted if someone has not been accounted for and, thus, could still be in the building.

And finally, when developing an evacuation plan, use the resources of your local fire department or emergency management agency, along with your property insurance company, to help develop and test it. This not only helps in putting together an effective plan, but significantly reduces business risk and liability.

What is an Evacuation Plan?An evacuation plan is just that. A well thought out method to get people out of a building or space as quickly and as safely as possible and account for them once they assemble in a designated safety area.

Evacuation Plan

GOALS OF AN EVACUATION GOAL #1

GOAL #2

Efficient, Orderly Exit n When an evacuation signal or order is given, it is paramount that occupants leave immediately in a calm and orderly fashion and follow their floor’s evacuation route to the nearest evacuation stairwell.

n Evacuation maps should be located near elevators and/or in high traffic areas. These diagrams should be easy to read and contain a basic layout of the floor, the location of the map (“YOU ARE HERE”), North and South designations, exit points (primary and secondary), outside assembly areas, fire extinguisher locations, shelter-in-place locations and any first aid stations

n When an alarm sounds, assume it is the real thing! NEVER call down to the building’s security desk or call the management office to check if you should leave. This delays the evacuation and takes precious minutes away from management and first responders.

Clear Building of Occupantsn An evacuation is just that – getting people OUT!

n It is very important to get everyone out of an area that has been identified as an area for evacuation. That may be a small area, several floors or the entire building. That means EVERYONE!

n Many people assume an evacuation signal is “just a drill” or a false alarm. And they may be busy or be in the middle of a project or an important call. It doesn’t matter who they are – EVERYONE must leave an affected area – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Regardless of the type of evacuation, the size of a building, who orders it or what causes it, there are ten primary goals of a successful building evacuation.

GOALS OF AN EVACUATION GOAL #3

GOAL #4

Getting People Out SafelyThis goal goes without saying – getting people out safely. Evacuations, if not handled properly, could cause panic and cause injury to occupants who trying to leave the building. Safety tips for occupants include:

n Holding onto the stairwell handrail when leavingn Not carrying food or drinkn Not texting or using the cell phonen Not talkingn Walking in singular filen Staying calm and collected

Well-lit and maintained fire evacuation routes, stairwells, exits and assembly areas, are primary responsibilities of company administration, property management and building maintenance. These areas have been established to provide a safe means for building escape and a safe area in which to assemble away from the building and potential hazards.

Move Occupants to the Designated Assembly AreasPeople need to know where they are supposed to go after they leave the building. Occu-pant assembly areas need to be far enough away from the building to assure the safety of occupants and large enough to accommodate the number of employees to be evacuated.

The use of specified assembly areas has two primary benefits.

n First, they eliminate the problem of occupants gathering immediately outside of a building (which is typically where evacuating persons like to go). Crowds of people in these areas could interfere with fire exits and impede arriving fire trucks and rescue personnel. They also could be injured by falling glass, debris or other emergency- related hazards.

n Second, designated areas help disperse occupants around the perimeter of a building, thus facilitating the process of determining who may be left in the building.

Businesses should appoint fire wardens (employees who are trained to help evacuate and account for occupants) to help direct people to the fire exits, evacuation stairwells and assembly areas. These individuals should be put through a training program each year to acquaint them with their important duties and responsibilities. They should also keep up-dated information about the employees for which they are responsible (cell phone, home phone, etc.).

Move Disabled OccupantsMost buildings are likely to have some occupants who have special physical needs or disabilities that prevent them from walking down an evacuation stairwell and assembling like tenants without these challenges. Some physical disabilities are permanent; others are temporary.

Disabled occupants should be assisted by the building’s fire wardens or by their fellow employees who have been designated as their evacuation “buddies.” These individuals help the disabled occupant go to their designated pick-up location (such as an elevator lobby or other location) and help keep the physically challenged person calm and under supervision.

Account for OccupantsA primary goal of evacuations is to get everyone out and then account for them so no one is left in a building in a real emergency.

There are two primary methods to verify if all occupants have evacuated a building. The first involves taking a roll call of all occupants at the evacuation assembly areas. The other involves making a post-evacuation search of the building.

Roll calls or attendance should be delegated to a company representative or fire warden. A post evacuation search or inspection is usually conducted byengineering, security, property management and/or the fire department. This is conducted to make sure people have actually left the building and also to determine the actual time it took to completely evacuate the building.

Make Sure Occupants Do Not Enter Until it is Clear to do soNO ONE (employees, tenants, visitors, non-emergency personnel) should try to re-enter the building until management and/or the fire department declares the evacuation is over and/or the building safe for occupants to enter. Typically this is done through bull horn announcements, radio communications with evacuation facilitators and management or other methods.

GOALS OF AN EVACUATION GOAL #5

GOAL #6

GOAL #7

GOALS OF AN EVACUATION GOAL #8

GOAL #9

PracticeThey say “practice makes perfect” and that’s exactly why a business should conduct an annual fire drill (even considering twice a year) – to get people in the practice of knowing what to do in an evacuation. Drills are expensive and disruptive but they save lives. As we mentioned earlier, a major reason why so many people were spared in the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11 was because of the fire evacuation drills the occupants went through. Thanks to these drills, they knew where to go and where to assemble in a very short time frame because they had done it before!

And no matter when you decide to conduct a drill, NEVER let building occupants know in advance the date and time of a fire drill exercise. Many people will purposely avoid participating in a drill by being out of the office if they know one will be scheduled. And then in a real emergency, they will be the first ones to ask, “Now where do I go?”

One final important point – don’t forget conducting drills outside of normal business hours for those employees who work nights and weekends.

Identify ProblemsAt the conclusion of any planned or unplanned building evacuation, building management and occupants should assess the effectiveness of the evacuation and identify problems and outline areas of improvement so that the next evacuation can be even more successful.

Suggested questions include:

n Did everyone in every area of the building hear the alarm? Are there any alarms that did not work?n How long did it take to evacuate all occupants? Is this better or worse than the last time you evacuated the building? n Did all fire exit doors and hardware work properly?n Did everyone evacuate properly to their respective assembly area? Or did people mill around fire exits or stand in areas that potentially could have placed them in danger?n Were there any problems in the stairwells, such as overcrowding, loose handrails or burned out lighting?n Did fire lanes remain unobstructed?n Did anyone try to re-enter the building prior to the all-clear signal?n Did fire wardens or other building management representatives encounter resistance from occupants who wanted to stay in their workspace?

GOALS OF AN EVACUATION

GOAL #10

n Were there any difficulties associated with evacuating people with disabilities and special needs?n Were people unaccounted for that should have been at their assembly area?n Was there any training or re-training issues that surfaced?n Did security and other support departments perform according to established procedure?n How effective was communications? Among the team and with evacuees?n What did the fire department think of the evacuation? Do they have any suggestions for improvement?

Liability Avoidance If, in an actual emergency, occupants were injured or even killed in a fire or other situation and there was evidence to show that there was no emergency planning, drills or training conducted prior to the emergency, the companies affected would likely face law suits, fines and other consequences associated with their negligence in not preparing occupants to safely evacuate a building. So, emergency planning is the right thing to do for businesses, their employees, residents and other occupants.

When it’s all said and done, the primary goal of preparing for building evacuations and hosting regular “fire drills” is to reduce liability and risk and, in doing so, save lives.

n Let your fire warden know when you are going to be out or when you are leaving earlyn When an alarm sounds or an announcement is made to evacuate, leave immediately – no exceptionsn Don’t spend time powering down computersn Take keys, wallets with you – you may not be able to get backn Go to nearest stairwell closest to where you are at time of the alarmn Never use an elevator; why? • Could get stuck • Power could be lost • Smoke, heat and flame could penetrate the elevator shaft • Takes too long – cabs will stop at every floor • Elevator would fill up with people and occupants on lower floors could not get on • Elevator shaft is not designed to protect occupants like an emergency evacuation stairwell • Fire department may use elevators to bring up equipment and personneln Feel any door you are exiting through first with the back of your handn If you get off on a floor to go to another stairwell, feel door first with back of hand (do not open if hot)n Remove high heels if this interferes with walkingn Walk holding handrailn No cell phone, eating, drinking, talking, texting while in stairwelln No smokingn Once outside, go to assigned assembly area and check in with fire warden – get away from the building!n Remain in assembly area – do not wander around since attendance may be takenn Never go back inside unless told to do so

For more information:www.osha.govwww.fema.govwww.nfpa.org

A critical element in any evacuation plan is occupant training and readiness. Training can be conducted by management, security, even the fire department. No matter who is tasked with training, the following topics should be discussed with building occupants:

Occupant Training