Evacuation Plans and Drills

Section 404: Fire Safety and Evacuation Plans

Fire Evacuation Plans shall include:

1. Emergency escape routes
2. Procedures for employees who must remain to operate critical equipment before evacuating
3. Procedures for evacuating occupants who need assistance
4. Procedures for accounting for employees and occupants
5. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for rescue and medical aid
6. Preferred and alternative means of notifying occupants of a fire or emergency
7. Preferred and alternative means of notifying the fire department of the emergency
8. Identification and assignment of personnel who can be contacted for further information
9. Description of emergency/alarm communication system and preprogrammed voice messages, where provided

Fire Safety Plan shall include:

1. Procedure for reporting a fire
2. Procedures for notifying, relocating or evacuating occupants who need assistance
3. Site plans identifying assembly points, fire hydrants, and fire department vehicle assess
4. Floor plans identifying exits, primary evacuation routes, secondary evacuation routes, accessible egress routes, areas of refuge, exterior areas for assisted rescue, manual fire alarm boxes, portable fire extinguishers, occupant-use hose stations, fire alarm annunciators and controls
5. List of major fire hazards
6. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance of fire protection systems
7. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance, housekeeping and controlling fuel hazard sources

Lockdown Plans shall include:

1. Instructions for reporting an emergency that requires a lockdown
2. Accountability procedures for staff to report presence or absence of occupants
3. Signal for returning to normal activity
4. Means of two-way communication between a central location and each secured area
5. Training frequency
6. Method of notifying building occupants, which should be separate and distant from the fire alarm signal

Maintenance and distribution of plan

Plans at a minimum shall be reviewed or updated annually. Plans shall be in the workplace for reference by employees and distributed to tenants. Copies shall be furnished to the fire code official for review upon request.

Section 405: Emergency Evacuation Drills

a. In severe climates, the fire code official shall have the authority to modify the emergency evacuation drill frequency.

b. Emergency evacuation drills are required in Group B buildings having an occupant load of 500 or more persons or more than 100 persons above or below the lowest level of exit discharge.

c. Emergency evacuation drills are required in ambulatory care facilities in accordance with Section 403.3.

d. Emergency evacuation drills in Group R-2 college and university buildings shall be in accordance with Section 403.10.2.1. Other Group R-2 occupancies shall be in accordance with Section 403.10.2.2.

Time: Drills shall be held at unexpected times and under varying conditions to simulate the unusual conditions that occur in case of fire.

Records: A records of all emergency evacuation drills for the current and previous year shall be kept on the premises. Written records shall be maintained of required emergency evacuation drills and include:

1. Identity of the person conducting the drill
2. Date, and time of the drill
3. Notification method used
4. Staff members on duty and participating
5. Number of occupants evacuated
6. Special conditions simulated
7. Problems encountered
8. Weather conditions when occupants were evacuated
9. Time required to accomplish complete evacuation

Initiation: Where a fire alarm system is provided, emergency evacuation drills shall be initiated by activating the fire alarm system.

Accountability: As building occupants arrive at the assembly point, efforts shall be made to determine if all occupants have been successfully evacuated or have been accounted for.

Recall & Reentry: An electrically or mechanically operated signal used to recall occupants after an evacuation shall be separate and distinct from the signal used to initiate the evacuation. The recall signal initiation means shall be manually operated and under the control of the person in charge of the premises or the official in charge of the incident. No one shall reenter the premises until authorized to do so by the official in charge.

Unplanned Evacuations Not a Substitute for Required Drills: Evacuations made necessary by the unplanned activation of a fire alarm system or by any other emergency shall not be substituted for a required drill.