FIRE ALARM BUILDING EVACUATION PROCEDURES

Community Colleges of Spokane

PERSON WHO DISCOVERS THE FIRE:

Evacuate the immediate area, closing doors behind you to contain the spread of fire and smoke.

Sound the fire alarm by activating the manual pull station located near the facility exit as you leave the building.

Call 911, giving exact location of the fire.

Notify your supervisor (as appropriate under the specific circumstances).

Call Campus Emergency Services at 533-3333. Buildings and Grounds will meet emergency vehicles.

USE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS:  (CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRST!)

Know how to work the fire extinguisher in your work area and the types of fires it will extinguish.

Fight only a small fire, one which has not spread beyond the spot where it started.

Never attempt to fight a fire with an extinguisher unless you can do so with your back to an exit.

Be sure you can get out fast if your effort is failing.

FACULTY OR SUPERVISORS:

Explain basic emergency procedures to students (or staff) at the beginning of each quarter (when a new employee is hired into the department and review regularly with all employees), including the evacuation plan and assembly points for their facility.

Evacuate the building whenever a fire alarm sounds and ensure the safe exit of all students (staff) (including evacuation of persons with physical disabilities, per a previously established contingency plan) within their area of responsibility.

Stay with the students (staff) throughout the evacuation and assemble at the designated assembly point until notified otherwise by authorized personnel (CCS administrator, Buildings and Grounds staff member, or Fire Department staff).

ADMINISTRATORS:

Building administrators are to ensure that an emergency evacuation plan is in place for their building(s). This plan is to be approved by the CCS Safety and Health Steering Committee. The approved plan should include:

Two designated points of assembly for the facility (or portion of a large facility) at least 300' from the building, one for good weather (a parking lot) and the other for inclement weather (a building interior, e.g., student center, gymnasium, learning resource center).

A contingency plan for evacuation of persons with physical disabilities.

Building administrators are to ensure that all faculty, supervisors and staff have been instructed regarding the evacuation plans and designated assembly points for their specific facilities, as well as the responsibilities of faculty and supervisors to their students and staff.

When the fire alarm for their facility sounds, the building administrator(s) (or designee) is to:

Evacuate the facility and proceed to the nearest safe telephone.

Call 911.

Call Campus Emergency Services at 533-3333. Buildings and Grounds will meet emergency vehicles.

Return to the exterior of the endangered facility and remain 300 ft. in front of the main entrance to await further direction from Buildings and Grounds staff.

When a fire alarm sounds, all occupants are to evacuate the building immediately and proceed to the designated assembly point. They are to remain there until given instructions by the building administrator, by Buildings and Grounds staff, or by fire department staff.

Only the fire department or Buildings and Grounds staff are authorized to silence an alarm or reset a fire alarm panel.

ALL CLEAR SIGNAL (Return to Previously Evacuated Facility): One extended blast (five seconds) on an air horn, administered in the assembly point vicinity by Buildings and Grounds staff, will be used to give the "all clear" signal, indicating faculty, staff, and students should return to the facility which they previously vacated under fire alarm conditions.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

At the time of registration for classes at CCS, students with disabilities and/or mobility limitations are encouraged to discuss with the disability and support services counselor staff possible responses to emergency situations while on campus.

FACULTY AND STAFF RESPONSIBILITY:

At the start of each quarter, classroom faculty having a person(s) enrolled in their class who has a known disability and/or mobility limitation will discuss, in private, emergency evacuation of the facility to arrive at a mutually agreeable arrangement.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to become aware of anyone who may require assistance in an emergency. Because a person who has a disability may not make their need known, due to embarrassment, fear of rejection or other reason, it is important that faculty and staff strive to establish an environment where the ability to accept people without preconditions is demonstrated by word and deed. Once a person's needs are known, they should be assisted, sensitively but firmly, to make a plan for their evacuation in an emergency.

CCS Staff in public facilities (administration, student services, cafeterias, libraries)

In the event public facilities must be evacuated, faculty and staff in these facilities will need to be especially alert and be ready to provide assistance to any individuals who may be experiencing difficulty in exiting the facility or who appear uncertain or unaware of the nature of the emergency.

EXAMPLES OF DISABILITIES

DISABILITY

POSSIBLE EFFECTS

SUGGESTED ASSISTANCE

Impaired mobility but no wheelchair use (e.g., mild cerebral palsy or paralysis; amputations)

Normal circumstances: navigate without aid of wheelchair.

Emergency (crowded hallway/frightened people): risk of losing balance or being knocked over.

Provide assistance in exiting the building under emergency conditions.

Visual impairment

Normal circumstances: navigate by memorizing # of steps, turns, etc.

Emergency: may not be able to determine if heading in direction of safety or danger.

Provide assistance in exiting the building under emergency conditions.

Hearing impairment

Emergency: may not be aware there is an emergency.

Ensure they understand the nature of the emergency and assist them to exit the building.

Cognitive impairments (e.g., head injury; mental retardation)

Normal circumstances: navigate campus and facilities without assistance.

Emergency: may become disoriented and lost even in normally familiar surroundings. May experience difficulty making and acting on decisions.

Provide assistance in exiting the building under emergency conditions.

Uses a wheelchair

Normal circumstances: navigate campus and facilities without assistance; use elevators for access to different building levels.

Emergency: elevators are not to be used in fire emergencies.

Provide assistance, as needed, in exiting the building under emergency conditions. For second floor/lower level evacuation, refer to detailed guidelines.

EVACUATION GUIDELINES

Second Floor/Lower Level Evacuation of
People with Mobility Disabilities

No visible smoke or fire:

Select two students, those you feel would be most appropriate, and assign them to assist, in the event of a fire alarm, in the evacuation of the person(s) utilizing a wheelchair or having other types of mobility limitations. Both students are to accompany the person(s) with physical disabilities to the closest safe exit area on the same floor. One student is to remain with the person(s) with physical disability at that location; the second student is to immediately evacuate the building and contact emergency services staff (e.g., firemen) to notify them of the location of the person with physical disabilities and the other student and is to return with the firemen to that location. The emergency services staff will then, if appropriate, assist in evacuating the person(s) with physical disabilities from the building.

Option: The faculty member may elect to assist the person(s) with physical disabilities rather than remaining with his/her class during evacuation and assembly. Once the person(s) with physical disabilities has been successfully evacuated, the faculty member is to rejoin his/her class at the designated assembly point to await further instruction.

•WHEELCHAIR USE: Identify if the chair is a standard model or motorized. If motorized, staff will need to be instructed on how to put the chair into neutral in case the power fails or the person in the chair is unresponsive or unable to operate it.

Visible smoke or fire:

Faculty/staff are to assist the person(s) with physical disabilities in evacuating the facility by whatever means is most appropriate and safe for the given circumstances.