MECKLENBURG COUNTY Community Support Services Watkins Center 3500 Ellington Street Charlotte, NC 28211 Emergency Response Guide The Safety Committee prepared this Emergency Response Guide. This document was reviewed and approved by the Safety Committee August 25, 2015. Discard previous versions. Purpose The purpose of this plan is to establish procedures for the systematic, safe and orderly evacuation of the building located at 3500 Ellington Street in case of fire or other emergency. Utilizing the building are Community Support Services, Departmental Financial Services, and Health Department staff including Health Information Services, the Children s Developmental Services Agency, and Trauma and Justice Partnerships including Child Development- Community Policing and Administration. There are approximately 175 staff members serving an average of 100 citizens per day. Objectives A. The primary objective of this plan is to minimize and/or prevent injury and property damage. B. The secondary objective is to provide education as part of the continuing training program for all occupants, to assure the prompt reporting of a fire and the proper response to fire, and the immediate initiation of fire safety procedures to safeguard life and contain fire until the arrival of the fire department. This Emergency Response Guide (ERG) is applicable to each floor of the building and will be placed into effect by designated emergency evacuation personnel upon activation of fire alarms or notification of any emergency condition. Tests of emergency procedures will be unannounced. C. Annual training of all staff within this facility is mandatory. The Safety Committee has oversight of training content and will coordinate with the Quality Improvement Coordinator to schedule training at orientation for new staff then annually via the online training system. Annual drills of this procedure will occur and will be coordinated by the Asset and Facility Management Health & Safety Liaison for CSS. Drills will be documented, reported to the Safety Committee, and analyzed for performance improvement. D. If staff are injured in an emergency, their personal emergency numbers will be obtained by their supervisor accessing employee information from MyHR. Utility Failures Watkins Center Emergency Response Guide Page 1 of 7
If utilities such as power, water or the heat source for a building should fail, the County contracted facilities management company representative, the Quality Improvement Director or designee will communicate with staff regarding actions to be taken. Evacuation of the building is rarely required. Your supervisor will inform you regarding evacuation requirements. Administrative Policy SAFE-03 Interruption of Utilities contains additional information regarding this topic as well as an explanation of requirements for critical and non-critical services staff and contact phone numbers. Natural Disasters Natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and ice storms do threaten and sometimes occur in our region. In these situations, staff are expected to adhere to leadership s instructions. If in doubt regarding work status for the County, staff should access the 24 hour County Weather Line at 704-336- 3636. Evacuation of the building may be required. Your supervisor will inform you regarding evacuation requirements. Policies available on MeckWeb: SAFE-08 Natural Disaster Preparation, and SAFE-03 Interruption of Utilities contain additional location specific information regarding this topic as well as an explanation of requirements for critical and noncritical services staff. Workplace Safety During Violent or Other Threatening Situations Violent situations can occur suddenly and include a variety of potential situations. Staff should remain as calm as possible and acquire assistance as soon as possible. Select staff are required to complete non-violent crisis intervention training at hire and annually. This training is an essential part of the organization s procedures to safely de-escalate situations and deal with violence. Evacuation of the building may be required. Your supervisor will inform you regarding evacuation requirements. Administrative Policies SAFE-02 Community Services Safety, CR-10 Consumer Violence and Aggression, and SAFE-05 Prohibited Weapons contain additional information regarding this topic. Medical Emergencies A medical emergency is an occurrence such as when a consumer or fellow staff member has fallen, hit their head on an object and is unconscious, or appears to have a seizure or heart attack. In a medical emergency, staff who have been trained should use First Aid and, if needed, CPR to assist the individual and call 9-911 immediately. The caller should be prepared to give the 911 operator as many details as possible including a good description of the individual s condition and specific location in the building. Evacuation of the building is rarely required. Your supervisor will inform you regarding evacuation requirements. Watkins Center Emergency Response Guide Page 2 of 7
Administrative Policy SAFE-01 Medical Emergencies contains additional information regarding this topic. Bomb Threats If You Receive a Bomb Threat: 1. Utilize the Bomb Threat Checklist see attached checklist 2. Stay calm 3. Quietly alert a neighbor to notify the police of the situation while you are on the phone. 4. After completion of call, IMMEDIATELY call 9-911 then the Security Officer at 704-336-2300. If necessary, the security officer will contact the roving security officer at 704-631-7687. If roving officer is unavailable he/she will contact his/her supervisor at 704-576-8241. If above are unavailable then the security officer will contact Captain Rich Goff at 704-785-5061. The supervisor will contact County Security Coordinator at 980-314-2505 or 704-622-0554. 5. Do not activate the fire alarm system or use a cell phone as this could potentially trigger a bomb. 6. Alert the Administrative Support Supervisor at 704-336-5699, who will send a Watkins-all email to alert staff. In that individual s absence, anyone listed in this Emergency Response Guide can send the email. Staff will be asked to alert everyone around them who may not have immediate access to email. 7. Staff will evacuate using the same routes as with fire drills. On their way out, staff will take notice of any unusual boxes or items not normally placed in their work area and alert the management team of any suspicious items. 8. All available Watkins Center Managers will assemble outside the facility on the sidewalk near the Watkins Center downstairs back parking lot drainage pond to identify: a. Suspicious objects or items reported by staff. b. The course of action the police will meet with the management team and serve as lead. Fire Emergency Procedures Equipment Information The design of our building incorporates the following features to insure maximum fire and life safety: A. Automatic smoke detection system: The building has smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and Simplex flashing strobe lights. B. Manual Fire Alarm Pull Stations are located adjacent to each exit door. Activation of any of these stations will sound the alarm horns. C. An emergency power and lighting system will provide electrical power sufficient for evacuation purposes. (Stairwell and corridor lights). D. Emergency Exits are marked with EXIT signs. Watkins Center Emergency Response Guide Page 3 of 7
E. Fire extinguishers of the appropriate type are conspicuously located on each floor. F. Special locking devices (Access card readers) EVACUATION SAFETY TEAM To effectively implement the provisions of this Emergency Response Guide, an Evacuation Safety Team for 3500 Ellington Street will be established and staffed as follows: EVACUATION DIRECTOR Ginger Little EVACUATION WARDENS Joey Bishop-Manton - Upstairs Brenda White - Downstairs DEPUTY EVACUATION WARDENS Nancy Jimenez Upstairs Lisa Troyer Downstairs PERSON ASSIGNED TO CALL 911 Rose Parker (Receptionist) EVACUATION DIRECTOR The Evacuation Director shall be an individual who spends the majority of the workweek in the building and is knowledgeable of its operation and the staff members who work in the building. The Evacuation Director s duties include, but are not limited to the following: A. Be thoroughly versed with this Emergency Response Guide. Periodically review the plan to insure that it is current. B. Ensure that Evacuation Warden, Deputy Evacuation Warden and other team members are assigned for each floor. C. Conduct fire/evacuation drills. D. Maintain a current list of personnel with disabilities, their work location(s) and assign 2 Evacuation Attendants for each. Persons with a known condition hampering movement should be included on the list. E. Evacuation Director or alternate will serve as liaison between CSS and the Fire Department incident commander. EVACUATION WARDEN Each floor or area of the building will be under the direction of a designated Evacuation Warden, who is responsible for the total evacuation of the floor. He or she shall: A. Ensure that the Deputy Evacuation Wardens are assigned on each floor or area. Watkins Center Emergency Response Guide Page 4 of 7
B. Assist the Deputy Evacuation Wardens in the evacuation of the floor or area. C. The Evacuation Warden shall have available a current list of special needs personnel for their respective floors or areas. Those persons (employees or clients) who cannot use stairs unaided will have two Evacuation Attendants assigned for assistance. D. Evacuation Wardens will report to the Director or Designee on the status of their floors or areas of evacuation and any persons still in the building or unaccounted for. DEPUTY EVACUATION WARDENS Deputy Evacuation Wardens, like the Evacuation Wardens, should be staff who are normally in or near their offices most of every working day. Routine Responsibilities: A. Deputy Evacuation Wardens should assist Evacuation Wardens in their normal responsibilities and will fill in for Evacuation Wardens in their absence. B. Conduct a search of their designated floor or area and direct occupants/visitors/vendors to the nearest safe exit. DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO EXIT BY USING THE ELEVATOR. Areas searched should include restrooms, kitchens, break rooms, and conference rooms, etc. that may be occupied. C. Once your floor has been searched, report to the Evacuation Warden on the status of your floor or area evacuated and any persons still in the building or unaccounted for. EVACUATION ATTENDANTS Evacuation Attendants should be located near persons with known disabilities and should be someone who is normally in the area most of every working day. Evacuation Attendant shall upon sounding of alarm: A. Locate the person with disabilities whom they are assigned to assist and ensure that there is sufficient help available to assist them to evacuate to safety. B. Upon completion of the evacuation of the person with disability, immediately contact the Evacuation Warden and inform of the location of the person with disability. C. If unable to evacuate the person with disability down the stairwell to the exit, one Evacuation Attendant may (employee option) stay with the person with disability and the other should report to the Evacuation Warden or fire department official the location of the person with disability. PERSON ASSIGNED TO CALL 911: Do not use cell phones at any time during an evacuation of any type.* A. Rose Parker/Receptionist will be responsible for calling the fire department (9-911) in the event of a fire or other emergency evacuation, Watkins Center Emergency Response Guide Page 5 of 7
or (Fire Alarm Activation.) Give your name, identify yourself as a Mecklenburg County employee, tell them the address location of the fire, and as much information as possible about the fire or emergency. Upon sounding the alarm, BEGIN EVACUATION IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT SILENCE OR RESET THE FIRE ALARM SYSTEM WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE CHARLOTTE FIRE DEPARTMENT. The evacuation team will begin their duties as assigned to assist in the evacuation of the building. In the event occupants are not in their normal work locations at the time of the evacuation, they should evacuate to the nearest exit. All occupants must proceed in an orderly fashion to the exit or stairwell. While exiting down the stairs, remember to stay to the right of the stairs so that emergency personnel can also use the stairs. All of the occupants and visitors will proceed to one of the three assembly area(s) located at Watkins Center front and back parking lots nearest Ellington St. and the Tom Ray side of the Watkins Center, and at least 400 feet away from the building or as directed by the fire department. DO NOT RE-ENTER THE BUILDING WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE CHARLOTTE FIRE DEPARTMENT. EVACUATION DRILLS AND TRAINING A. Evacuation drills will be conducted as required by North Carolina Building Code Volume V, Chapter 8, and Section 809. All persons occupying the building will participate in the drills. B. Details of drills (including time to evacuate) and the evaluation of their effectiveness will be maintained by the QI Coordinator. This information will be available for examination by building tenants and Charlotte Fire Department personnel as requested. C. Drills will begin with the sounding of the alarm, receipt of an email with the word drill in the subject line, or at a table top drill during a staff meeting. D. All CSS occupants of the building and the fire evacuation team shall be trained on the evacuation procedures of this plan as needed. Reception Desk Panic Button A panic button is installed at the Reception desk at the Watkins Center. This is to be used to alert staff of an emergency due to an uncontrollable or potentially violent situation at the front desk or lobby. The panic button activates silent yellow strobe lights in the downstairs hallway outside room L-51, in the upstairs hallway directly behind the receptionist, along the upstairs hallway by rooms 40, 50, and 60 and inside rooms 40 and 50. Staff who see the yellow strobe lights are to proceed to the front desk to see if assistance can be rendered; whether to assist with an individual who is upset or to contact Security at 704-336-2300 or the Police (9-911) in the event of a perceived threat or other situation. Any employee or citizen who refuses to cooperate with the evacuation plan and/or fails to follow direction from evacuation coordinators, evacuation directors, security personnel or Fire Department personnel may be subject to civil citation and fines. County employees who fail to cooperate or follow appropriate direction Watkins may also Center be subject Emergency to disciplinary Response action Guide as provided in County HR Page policy. 6 of 7
MECKLENBURG COUNTY Community Support Services BOMB THREAT REPORT Place this form under your phone or in your phone book QUESTIONS TO ASK: 1. When is the bomb going to explode? 2. Where is it right now? 3. What does it look like? 4. What kind of bomb is it? 5. What will cause it to explode? 6. Did you place the bomb? 7. Why? 8. What is your address? 9. What is your name? EXACT WORDING OF THE THREAT: CALLER S VOICE Calm Nasal Angry Stutter Excited Lisp Slow Raspy Rapid Deep Soft Ragged Loud Clearing Throat Laughter Deep Breathing Crying Cracking Voice Normal Disguised Distinct Familiar Slurred Whispered If voice is familiar, who does it sound like? BACKGROUND SOUNDS: Street Noises Factory Crockery Animal Noises Voices Clear PA System Static Music Local House Noises Long Distance Motor Booth Office Machinery Other: THREAT LANGUAGE: Gender of caller: Age: Length of Call: Number at which call is received: Race: Time: Date: / / Well Spoken (educated) Foul Irrational Report call immediately to: POLICE: DIAL 9+911 Incoherent Taped Message Read by Threat Maker Date: Name & Position: Phone Number: Watkins Center Emergency Response Guide Page 7 of 7