November Safety Subject Emergency Evacuation Know your building s Emergency Action Plan! Become familiar with the evacuation route map posted on the wall. Always use the stairs. Never use the elevator when evacuating for fire, bomb or tornado. Know who your building and office monitors are and where to report in case of evacuation
Do you know your Emergency Action Plan? In the event of a fire or tornado warning at work, do you know what to do and where to go? Familiarize yourself with the Emergency Evacuation Route map posted in your work place. This information tells employees and visitors exactly where and how to reach a safe area if a fire evacuation is necessary or where to shelter in place in case of a tornado warning as well as lots of other important information. Remember, in most county buildings, a fire alarm could indicate a fire or bomb threat. It is important that everyone report quickly to the safe area and take a count of people that were in the work area. Precious minutes could be lost by firefighters looking for someone that does not follow the plan. Never use the elevators during an evacuation and remember to assist any visitors that may not be familiar with the building or any disabled persons. Once outside, never re-enter the building until an all clear is given by officials. Tornado warnings will be announced over the buildings PA system. Each office should have a reliable weather monitor radio and should stay attuned to it if the weather outside becomes threatening. If a tornado warning is issued for your area, employees should report to their tornado safe area and follow the same procedures as a fire evacuation. Emergency Evacuation Primary and secondary evacuation routes should be established. All employees should be familiar with either route. Exits should be clearly marked and all signs lit and unobstructed.
U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA 3183 2003 What are the requirements for exits? Exits must be separated from the workplace by fire resistant materials that is, one-hour fire-resistance rating if the exit connects three or fewer stories, and two-hour fire-resistance rating if the exit connects more than three floors. Exits can have only those openings necessary to allow access to the exit from occupied areas of the workplace or to the exit discharge. Openings must be protected by a self-closing, approved fire door that remains closed or automatically closes in an emergency. Keep the line-of-sight to exit signs clearly visible always. Install EXIT signs in plainly legible letters. Safety Features for Exit Routes Keep exit routes free of explosive or highly flammable furnishings and other decorations. Arrange exit routes so employees will not have to travel toward a high-hazard area unless the path of travel is effectively shielded from the high-hazard area. Ensure that exit routes are free and unobstructed such as by materials, equipment, locked doors, or dead-end corridors. Provide lighting for exit routes adequate for employees with normal vision. Keep exit route doors free of decorations or signs that obscure the visibility of exit route doors. Post signs along the exit access indicating the direction of travel to the nearest exit and exit discharge if that direction is not immediately apparent. Mark doors or passages along an exit access that could be mistaken for an exit Not an Exit or with a sign identifying its use (such as Closet ). Renew fire-retardant paints or solutions when needed. Maintain exit routes during construction, repairs, or alterations.
Emergency Exit Routes What Everyone Should Know How would you escape from your workplace in an emergency? Do you know where all the exits are in case your first choice is too crowded? Are you sure the doors will be unlocked and that the exit access behind them will not be blocked during a fire, explosion, or other crisis. Knowing the answers to these questions could keep you safe during an emergency. How many exit routes must a workplace have? Usually, a workplace must have at least two exit routes for prompt evacuation. But more than two exits are required if the number of employees, size of the building, or arrangement of the workplace will not allow a safe evacuation. Exit routes must be located as far away as practical from each other in case one is blocked by fire or smoke. Design and Construction Requirements Exit routes must be permanent parts of the workplace. Exit discharges must lead directly outside or to a street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or open space with access to the outside. Exit discharge areas must be large enough to accommodate people likely to use the exit route. Exit route doors must be unlocked from the inside. They must be free of devices or alarms that could restrict use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails. Exit routes can be connected to rooms only by side-hinged doors, which must swing out in the direction of travel if the room may be occupied by more than 50 people. Exit routes must support the maximum permitted occupant load for each floor served, and the capacity of an exit route may not decrease in the direction of exit route travel to the exit discharge. Exit routes must have ceilings at least 7 ft., 6 in. high. An exit access must be at least 28 inches wide at all points. Objects that project into the exit must not reduce its width.
Bomb Threat Procedure BCC 00-1828 8/31/00 BCC 01-2268 10/16/01 Rev. 04-2361 I. Wood County will provide a copy of the Bomb Threat Procedure to all employees and training on the same. Each department shall post an evacuation route designated the bomb safe area. II. Procedure if Bomb is Found A. Pull fire alarm. B. Evacuate to designated bomb/fire safe area. C. Person report to the designated staging area to report the situation. III. Procedure if Bomb Threat is Received or Suspect Item Identified A. Telephone Threat: Obtain all information possible from the individual who is making the phone threat by completing the "Bomb Threat Aid" form. Form should be located directly under bottom of every phone. B. Suspect Item: Obtain all information regarding suspect item. Do not touch or move item. C. Employee receiving threat or suspect item shall immediately call extension 1111, advise supervisor/department head of the situation, and report to the EMA Office with the Bomb Threat Aid card for assessment. (EMA office is located on the first floor of the county office building.) IV. Evacuation Procedures (Bomb/Bomb Threat) A. Employee Responsibility 1. Prior to leaving the building, visually check your immediate work area for anything that may appear to be "unusual". 2. DO NOT touch any item that is out of the ordinary. 3. DO NOT use cellular phones or two-way radios which could activate the device. 4. Report all suspicious items/activity to your supervisor immediately. 5. Secure all funds, work station and office. 6. All personnel/visitors shall evacuate to bomb/fire safe area. 7. Always use stairways to get to your bomb/fire safe area. DO NOT use elevators.
8. Remain at the bomb/fire safe area as an office/department unit for further instructions from a County official or emergency response personnel. B. Office/Building Monitor Responsibilities 1. Each office/department shall have a primary and secondary Office Monitor who will be responsible for the following: a. Maintain a working flashlight. b. Obtain an accurate count of all personnel/visitors in the office. c. Assign one person to each physically challenged person in the office. d. Direct the people in the office to the appropriate exits and control the speed of the evacuation to avoid panic. e. Report to the bomb/fire safe area. f. Conduct a second count of all personnel/visitors in the office upon reaching the bomb/fire safe area. g. Report to the designated staging area and advise the building monitor that the office has been evacuated. 2. Each building shall have a primary and secondary Building Monitor who will be responsible for the following: a. Maintain a working flashlight. b. Evacuate to the fire/bomb safe area. c. Verify with the office monitors that all persons have been evacuated. d. Report employee/visitor counts to the county representative at the staging area. V. Search for Bomb (Specially designated personnel only.) A. By the direction of law enforcement officials, specially trained volunteers shall assist the emergency responders in the search of said facility. B. All search operations will be coordinated via an Incident Command Post established within the Emergency Management Agency office. C. A representative of the effected facility shall report to the incident command post in order to provide access to building. VI. Re-Entry A. After an "All Clear" is issued by law enforcement officials, employees/visitors may return to their office or work.
Fire Procedure BCC 95-2571 12/14/95 BCC 00-1828 8/31/00 I. Wood County will provide a copy of the Fire Procedure to all employees and training on the same. Each department shall post an evacuation route designating the fire safe area. II. Fire Identification Procedure A. If a fire is suspected, the employee shall activate the fire alarm. B. Evacuate to designated fire/bomb safe area. C. Call 911 to report situation. III. Evacuation Procedure A. Employee Responsibility 1. All personnel/visitors shall evacuate to predetermined fire/bomb safe area. 2. Always use stairways to get to your fire/bomb safe area. Do not use elevators. 3. Remain at the fire/bomb safe area as an office/department unit for further instructions from a County official or emergency response personnel. B. Office/Floor Monitor Responsibilities 1. Each office/department shall have a primary and secondary Office Monitor who will be responsible for the following: a. Maintain a working flashlight. b. Obtain an accurate count of all personnel/visitors in the office. c. Assign one person to each physically challenged person in the office. d. Direct the people in the office to the appropriate exits and control the speed of the evacuation to avoid panic. e. Report to the fire/bomb safe area. f. Conduct a second count of all personnel/visitors in the office upon reaching the fire/bomb safe area. g. Report to the designated staging area and advise the building monitor that the office has been evacuated
2. Each building shall have a primary and secondary Building Monitor who will be responsible for the following: a. Maintain a working flashlight. b. Evacuate to the fire/bomb safe areas designated staging area. c. Verify with the office monitors that all persons have been evacuated. d. Report employee/visitor counts to the county representative at the staging area. IV. RE-ENTRY A. After an "All Clear" has been issued, employees/visitors may return to their office or workplace.
Tornado Watch/Warning Procedure BCC 95-2571 12/14/95 BCC 00-1828 8/31/00 Rev. 07-2041 I. Wood County will provide a copy of the Tornado Watch/Warning Procedures to all employees and training on the same. Each department shall post an evacuation route designating the tornado safe area. II. Tornado Watch Procedure A. Upon notification of a Tornado Watch issued by the National Weather Service, the Emergency Management Agency shall provide notification over the Courthouse and Office Building intercom system which states that Wood County has been put under a Tornado Watch, and provide the beginning and ending times of the watch. B. If the Tornado Watch is extended or canceled, the Emergency Management Agency will provide notification over the intercom system. C. Areas not covered under the County's intercom system shall be notified by their existing communications system, or by weather monitors located in a staffed area of the department. III. Tornado Warning Procedure A. Upon notification of a Tornado Warning issued by the National Weather Service or other authorized source, the Emergency Management Agency will provide notification over the Courthouse and Office Building intercom system stating that, a Tornado Warning has been issued for Wood County. Please report to your tornado safe area until further notice. B. Those areas not covered by the County's intercom system shall be notified by their existing communication system, or by weather monitors located in a staffed area of the department and the designated safe area. IV. Evacuation Procedures (Tornado Warning) A. Employee Responsibility 1. All personnel/visitors shall evacuate to their designated tornado safe area. 2. Always use stairways to get to your tornado safe area. Do not use elevators. 3. Remain at the tornado safe area as an office/department unit for further instruction from a County official or emergency response personnel. B. Office/Building Monitor Responsibilities 1. Each office/department shall have a primary and secondary Office Monitor who will be responsible for the following: a. Maintain a working flashlight.
V. RE-ENTRY b. Obtain an accurate count of all personnel/visitors in the office. c. Assign one person to each physically challenged person in the office. d. Direct the people in the office to the appropriate exits and control the speed of the evacuation to avoid panic. e. Report to the tornado safe area. f. Conduct a second count of all personnel/visitors in the office upon reaching the tornado safe area. g. Report to the designated staging area and advise the building monitor that the office has been evacuated. 2. Each building shall have a primary and secondary Building Monitor who will be responsible for the following: a. Maintain a working flashlight. b. Maintain a working weather monitor radio at the designated tornado safe area. c. Evacuate to the tornado safe areas designated staging area. d. Verify with the office monitors that all persons have been evacuated. e. Report employee/visitor counts to the county representative at the staging area. A. After an "All Clear" has been issued or the tornado warning has expired, employees/visitors may return to their office or workplace.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Emergency Evacuation Quiz QUESTIONS 1. The Emergency Evacuation Route map posted on the wall is also known as your. 2. In most county buildings, what signal is used to indicate a fire or bomb threat? 3. All employees and visitors should move to the tornado safe area upon the issuance of a tornado. 4. According to OSHA, what is the minimum width of an emergency exit access? 5. During a building evacuation, who does the office/floor monitor report to, once they have reached the designated staging or safe area?
Emergency Evacuation Quiz ANSWERS 1. Emergency Action Plan 2. Fire Alarm 3. Warning 4. 28 inches 5. Building Monitor