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12.01.14 - Fire and Emergency Evacuation Guidelines CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY MANUAL CHAPTER: 12 Risk Management Policy No. 12.01.14 SECTION: 01 Risk Management Policies Page: 1 of 6 SUBJECT: 14 Fire and Emergency Evacuation Guidelines REVISED Hazardous and Threatening Situations (REPLACES & INCORPORATES APM 12.01.08) PURPOSE: To establish a plan of action and procedures for the proper management of emergency situations. To eliminate employee exposure to respiratory irritants and comply with OSHA's Respiratory Protection Act. I. EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY EVACUATION: An emergency evacuation is a quick, orderly and safe exit from the building. 1. Upon activation of the fire alarm system each occupant should walk quickly and directly to the designated evacuation exit and proceed quickly, calmly and safely outside. 2. An emergency evacuation will take place whenever there is an event in which a rapid evacuation is deemed necessary, when Dispatch gives notification of evacuation, or when the Supervisor (or Designee) deems appropriate. 3. Individuals will remain out of the office or building until an all clear announcement is made by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). Every building occupant has a personal interest in the emergency operation and in the plans for handling the emergent situation. The best alarm and emergency response system incorporates the eyes and ears of all the occupants. Each facility should have a meeting with their staff to designate a safety supervisor, allocate parameters of responsibilities, to review the evacuation routes and the emergency procedures and to identify a regrouping for accountablity of staff and visitors. II. SUPERVISOR/SAFETY COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Educate all staff as to the evacuation procedures, evacuation routes and exits, regrouping areas, pull stations and fire extinguishers. 1 2 2. Initiate the Emergency Evacuation Plan when appropriate. 3. Take charge of the specific emergency plans when required. 4. Coordinate the procedures with the Fire Department. 5. Assure that all building occupants are directed to the evacuation stairway or exit. 6. Assure that no one attempts to use the elevator. 7. Assure that disabled or handicapped occupants are assisted as needed. 8. Notify the emergency workers of any areas in the office that are locked and cannot be searched. 9. Assure that every room is searched. 10. Account for all staff and building occupants at the regrouping area. 11. Report all hazardous or questionable conditions to the Fire Department. III. FIRE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: 1. Rescue persons in immediate danger only if you can perform rescue without placing yourself at high risk of becoming another victim. a. Rescues can sometimes be accomplished by moving persons to a safer place in the building, behind fire doors, in fire stairwells, etc. b. Determine whether to attempt to extinguish the fire. See Fire Extinguisher Procedures (P.A.S.S.) 2. Alarm notification to building occupants and emergency services is of the utmost importance. a. The person discovering the emergency (fire, smoke, hazardous fumes, etc.) should immediately communicate to co-workers and building occupants the type of emergency and location of the incident; activate the fire alarm system if present; and designate someone for 911 notification. b. Notification should be done simultaneously with rescue efforts if conditions permit or as soon as possible thereafter. Rapid notification along with clear and concise communication during an evacuation is the key to a successful emergency evacuation procedure. 3. Contain fire and smoke travel by closing doors and other openings while proceeding to safety and also checking for occupants that may be unaware of the emergency or frightened by the fire alarm. 3 4. Evacuate the building in an orderly manner, making sure that persons requiring special assistance with the evacuation proceedure recieve any additional help as needed. a. Procede to a predetermined meeting place and inform the person in charge of any pertinent information such as type of emergency, location of emergency, and any persons not accounted for. b. Emergency evacuations should be practiced frequently. Variables such as time of day, staffing changes and accessibilty to established escape routes should be considered. IV. MEDICAL: EMERGENCIES: 1. Call Fire Rescue at 911, and give the following information: a. Nature of Emergency. b. Location and number of patients. c. Follow directions given by Dispatch. V. BOMB THREAT PROCEDURES: 1. Call the Police Department at 911, using a land line, and give the following information: a. Bomb threat at the City of Boynton Beach (location) building, Boynton Beach, Florida. b. Bomb threat message OR suspicious package/object. c. Your name and building phone number. 2. If there is a suspicious pakage/object, do not touch it and clear the area around the suspicious pakage/object. 3. Evacuate the building according to evacuation routes located on evacuation maps posted in the building. 4. Avoid standing in front of windows or other potentially dangerous areas. 5. Do not restrict sidewalk or streets that will be used by emergency vehicles and officials. VI. ELEVATOR EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: 1. If you hear an elevator alarm bell, call the Fire Department at 911. 2. Passengers detained in an elevator should remain calm and press the alarm button. An alarm bell will sound. 4 4. When a power failure occurs, the elevator will lower to the ground floor. Do not attempt to use the elevator during a power failure. 5. There is an elevator phone located inside the elevator panel. Pick it up and you will automatically be connected to the switch board. HELP WILL ARRIVE SHORTLY !!! VII. HURRICANE PROCEEDURES: As per the City Hurricane Policy. VIII. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ENCOUNTERS: 1. If you have been exposed to an unkown gas, seek fresh air and notify 911 from a safe location. (Refer to section IX-2) 2. If you feel you have been exposed to a potentially hazardous substance, other than a gas, call 911 from a phone nearest to the location of the exposure. 3. Report to the dispatcher the nature of the substance and any immediate safety or heath concerns. 4. Do not allow others to enter the contaminated area or to contact anything that may have become contaminated. 5. Leave the affected area only under conditions of immediate danger to life, by direction of the emergency dispatcher or by order of emergency services personnel on scene. 6. Remain calm and allow decontamination efforts as required by Fire Department personnel. IX. HAZARDOUS AND NOXIOUS SUBSTANCES AND ENCOUNTERS 1. Hazardous Substances, Contractors Responsibility, and Notification a. The use of hazardous substances in City owned and occupied buildings during normal business hours is prohibited. b. Contractors must provide the City’s Project Manager with copies of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) sheets on all substances prior to the application of the substance to ensure all safety precautions are followed. c. The City’s Project Manager shall be notified prior to the use of any hazardous substance to ensure minimum exposure to the occupants of the building, after normal business hours. 5 2. Noxious Odor Encounters a. Notify Supervisor/Department Head immediately. b. Supervisor/Department Head shall evacute the immediate area, as he/she deems appropriate. c. Notify Dispatch via 911 for emergency response. d. Notify Risk Management from a safe location. e. Fire Department will respond to the scene to investigate and provide medical support as necessary, to include transport to a hospital if deemed necessary by EMS crewmembers. f. Risk Management will contact the appropriate department to obtain MSDS sheets for any known chemical or substances being used in the vicinty. g. Individual departments will notify Risk Management via the OOPS Line (742-6677) of any individuals requiring medical attention. h. Fire Department will determine need for aditional evacuation as well as determine the apropriate evacuation zone. i. Fire Department will determine when it is safe to return to the evacuated areas. j. Fire Department will coordinate evacuation and return proceedures with the individual department head. k. Risk Management will recieve reports of any injuries or unsafe condition discovered by Fire Department personnel. A fire department representative will submit any pertinent findings and recomendations to the City Safety Committee for review. l. The Safety committee will submit recomendations to the City Manager as necessary. X. PROPER USE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS: Pull the ring on the handle of the fire extinguisher to remove the safety pin (the pin prevents accidental discharge). This is accomplished by pulling the ring sharply and twisting at the same time to break the plastic tie securing the ring to the handle. At this time, check that the pressure gauge indicates that the fire extinguisher is fully charged (the needle of the gauge is in the green zone). Before attempting to extinguish the fire, assess conditions and proceed only if it does not place you at high risk of becoming another victim. 6 Aim the fire extinguisher nozzle toward the base of the fire. The dry chemical in the fire extinguisher smothers fire and is only effective if directed toward the base of the fire. Proceed toward the fire to a distance where you feel confident that you can operate safely. Squeeze the handle of the fire extinguisher to discharge dry chemical toward the base of the fire. Sweep the nozzle of the fire extinguisher from side to side while aiming it at base of the fire. This will more evenly place dry chemical at base of fire. It is very important to NEVER turn your back to fire, even if it appears to be out. Fire may flare up, always backup from the fire keeping the fire extinguisher in position and ready to use. DEVELOPED BY: Chuck Magazine, Risk Manager; Mark Bobich, Safety Committee Chair/Division Chief Ray Altman, BBFRD EFFECTIVE DATE: February 1, 1995 REVISED DATE: September 15, 2002 REVISED DATE: December 1, 2006 (REPLACES /INCORPORATES APM 12.01.08) Kurt Bressner Kurt Bressner City Manager