At the sound of the Emergency Alarm, it is the responsibility of all building occupants to evacuate immediately and proceed to predetermined assembly points, away from the building.
Building occupants are also responsible for ensuring that their visitors/customers follow the evacuation procedure described herein, and leave the building along with all other occupants. Faculty are responsible for dismissing their classes and directing students to leave the building by the nearest exit upon hearing the alarm or being notified of an emergency.
Designated essential personnel needed to continue or shut down critical operations while an evacuation is underway are responsible for recognizing and/or determining when to abandon the operation and evacuate themselves.
Contract workers will be made familiar with the procedure outlined herein and are expected to leave the building when the alarm sounds.
Evacuation Instructions
- Whenever you hear the building alarm or are informed of a general building emergency:
- Do not panic or ignore the alarm.
- Leave the building immediately, in an orderly fashion.
- Dismiss classes in session and direct students to leave the building immediately, in an orderly fashion and go to the buildings evacuation site.
- Follow the quickest evacuation route from where you are
- Do not go back to your office or classroom area for any reason
- Keep low to the floor if smoke is in your room
- Before opening the door:
- Feel the door knob. If it is hot, do not open the door
- If the knob is not hot, brace yourself against the door and open slightly (fire can create pressure strong enough to push a door open if it is not held firmly.) If heat or heavy smoke is present in the corridor, close the door and stay in the room.
- If you cannot leave the room:
- Open the windows. If your windows are the type that can be raised and lowered, open the top to let out heat and smoke, open the bottom to let in fresh air
- Seal cracks around the door with towels or bed clothing to keep out smoke
- To attract attention if you are trapped, hang an object out the window, such as a sheet, jacket, shirt, or anything that will attract attention. Shout for help.
- If you leave the room:
- Close all doors behind you as you exit. This will retard the spread of the smoke and lessen the damage
- Go to the nearest exit or stairway. DO NOT USE AN ELEVATOR
- If the nearest exit is blocked by smoke, heat or fire, go to an alternate exit
- If all exits from a floor are blocked, go back to your room, close the door, open the windows and follow the procedure described above in step 6.
- After leaving the building, proceed to the designated emergency assembly point for your area.
- If the designated assembly point/area is unsafe or blocked due to the emergency, proceed to the alternate assembly point.
- Call 911 if a fire exists
- If no fire exists, notify Police and Parking Services.
- Report to your Work Area Rep or Instructor at the assembly point to be checked off as having evacuated safely; also report any knowledge you may have of missing persons.
- Stand clear and follow directions from emergency personnel.
- Return to the building only after emergency officials or building monitors give the all-cl ear signal. Silencing the alarm does not mean the emergency is over.
Helping individuals with physical disabilities:
- Any person unable or who needs assistance to evacuate should proceed to the nearest stairwell. If it is unsafe to do so remain in your office/classroom/ residence. Notifying emergency response and rescue personnel that you have taken refuge there.
- Supervisory personnel and course instructors are responsible for identifying and escorting individuals with disabilities located in their offices/classrooms to safety if possible. If they
are not able to evacuate the individual they need to at a minimum get them to a stairwell and then notify rescue personnel.
Individuals with disables, in any emergency requiring evacuation, do not panic, proceed as follows:
- If you are on a building floor WITHOUT exit doorways, and you hear a fire alarm, or are informed of an evacuation.
- Go to a stairwell immediately.
- Inform or ask someone, a building occupant or a floor monitor in particular, to alert the first arriving emergency responders of your presence and location.
- Call 911 to ensure rescue personnel are notified of your location and your need for assistance to evacuate.
- Provide operator with your exact location, building name, floor and room numbers;
- Give phone number you are calling from;
- If possible remain by phone, police have radio contact with officers at scene and will keep you informed of the situation.
- The information you provide to the emergency operator will be relayed to emergency and rescue personnel arriving at the scene, who will assist in your safe evacuation, if circumstances warrant.
Use of Exits and Exit Access:
- To ensure that fire equipment is in operating condition at all times, the use of fire extinguishers, fire hose, fire blankets, etc. should be immediately reported to Facilities at 865- 8533.
- Exit access shall be the corridors and stairwells provided in the building. The exit itself is the door or other means provided between the exit access and a place of safety from fire and smoke
- Exits or exit access shall not be obstructed at any time in any manner with furniture, storage, displays, vending machines, etc.
- Fire doors on stairwells, unless arranged to close automatically in the event of fire, shall be maintained in the closed position at all times
- Exit signs shall be properly illuminated at all times. Such signs shall not be obstructed or blocked from view at any time
- Exits and exit access doors shall not be locked at any time unless equipped with panic hardware or other approved means to permit emergency egress by building occupants