Evacuation plans – will yours work?
A crucial element of any building owner or manager’s fire safety policy is a tried and tested evacuation plan. Evacuation exercises serve two important purposes according to British Fire Consortium Training Officer, Ken Day. He says, “The first is to prove that your plan actually works in practice. The second is to act as a refresher course for all employees, particularly those with designated fire warden duties. Fortunately fires don’t happen frequently enough to remind people how to react when the fire alarm sounds!”
Ken, a former senior fire officer and qualified safety manager, runs Florian Fire & Safety Ltd, a Shrewsbury based company which offers fire and safety technical and training services in the UK and worldwide. Much of his time is spent conducting fire risk assessments in industrial, commercial, leisure and hotel premises and helping his clients plan and implement effective fire policies.
Although Fire Certificates are being phased out with the arrival of the Regulatory Reform Order, they frequently stipulated a twice yearly evacuation drill. Ken believes this frequency will probably continue as best practice in the future for many commercial premises, although the number and timing of evacuation drills should be identified as part of the individual premises’ fire safety policy. This will be established following a fire risk assessment by the employer or “responsible person”.
A shared approach:
In many organisations the Facility or Building Manager or Health and Safety Officer will be responsible for organising the evacuation drill and a “shared approach” between this individual and a specialist fire company will ensure that any planned evacuation will have the best chance of success. Ken Day’s company is a member of the British Fire Consortium (BFC), which is made up of independent fire companies, many of which specialise in conducting risk assessments and evacuation and other fire safety training.
In his experience, an independent expert will often identify aspects of an existing plan which simply won’t work in practice, or through the Facility or Building manager’s lack of specialised experience, may not have been considered. He explains, “A facility manager was explaining to me his very impressive evacuation plan for offices which were occupied by around 300 people during the day.
Various staff had been allocated different roles including incident verification, roll calls and checking various floors had been cleared. When I asked who would carry out these roles if a fire broke out at night, when there were still some shift workers and cleaners on the premises, the FM looked blank! In spite of his detailed planning, he had completely overlooked the necessity for variations to cater for night time occupancy. If there are people on your premises 24 hours a day, then the overall plan needs to work 24 hours a day – and where appropriate needs to incorporate catch-all adjustments!”
The Drill itself:
Ken Day says that if an evacuation drill is to be successful, it must be as realistic as possible. The more realistic the practice, the more effective it will be at revealing any weaknesses and problems associated with human behaviour in fire. During a drill he often uses security guards to block off commonly used exits to make employees think about using alternative escape routes.
For the same reason, the “fire” is started in a different location each time. Ken will often discreetly ask one member of staff not to go to the assembly point, just to check the accuracy of the roll call. (Remember that roll calls should always include the names of site visitors, not just staff.) Another important tip is to make sure that seasonal and part time staff don’t miss out on evacuation drills and other fire training.
“The evacuation plan must always be exclusive to an individual premises and based on the fire risk assessment for that site” he says. “Don’t be tempted to do what the manager of a hotel I assessed in Cyprus did. He had simply replicated the fire safety procedure he obtained from a hotel in London! It was obviously incompatible with his property and had we not revised it the consequences could have been dire!”
Ken also recommends that the evacuation should be planned, as far as practicable, for the time when the risk will be highest, for example in a hotel, make sure it will work at night when maximum guests and minimum staff are present. He does not advocate carrying out a fire drill in the dead of night but, in such circumstances, the plan should be proved by simulation.
The evacuation plan will of course also depend upon the type and phasing of fire alarm system installed which again, should be specified according to the risk assessment. He also points out that response to a siren or bell is often poor, whilst a recorded announcement giving specific evacuation instructions, is far more effective! A loud hailer makes assembly point management easier.
The “responsible person” must also ensure that the evacuation plan makes provision for all occupants including all categories of disability - and this will be determined through the risk assessment. An experienced consultant will be able to provide advice on specific issues such as evacuation chairs, special lifts and the application of safe refuge areas which will all depend upon the layout of the individual building and the special requirements of its occupants.
Case Study 1: Charlton Athletic Football Club:
Sean McGarrigle is the Facilities Manager at Charlton Athletic FC. “Our evacuation procedures are split into ‘match day’ and ‘non-match day’ plans” he explains. “I’m responsible for non-match day procedures and for all the systems such as the fire alarm, fire suppression system and portable extinguishers at the stadium, training grounds, youth academy hostel and mail order warehouse.
On match days, our Safety Officer, who is a serving fire officer, takes over responsibility for the evacuation procedures at the stadium and relies on these systems being fully operational. He has a deputy, a team of CCTV operators, the St. John Ambulance team, the police, as well as our match day fire marshals to support him. It’s very tightly managed and if we do have to evacuate the stadium, then he needs to know that everything’s in place.”
Sean also relies on the support of several specialist contractors. One of these is Phil Wright, whose company, SafetyCO UK, is also a British Fire Consortium member, and specialises in health and safety consultancy and training.
“Phil’s company did an overall health and safety audit for us and came up with various recommendations. My challenge was then to mould and implement those recommendations within the limitations and resources of the Club” he explains.
Through FM and specialist working together, several important initiatives have been introduced at Charlton. A staff handbook was introduced last year which Sean has written for all employees. All staff have fire training as part of their induction but the handbook re-inforces the procedures.
Phil’s audit of the existing evacuation plans also identified the need to clearly inform two sets of people about two very different procedures on match and non- match days. A discussion between Phil, Sean and Maintenance Manager, Colin Day, resulted in a simple but effective system of Fire Safety Notices which are displayed throughout the stadium and are simply turned around to show the match day procedure before each match and turned back again when the match is over to display the non-match day instructions.
The match day procedure was tested in anger last season by a gas leak just outside the stadium. Sean remembers, “It was nearing the end of the game and we were monitoring the situation outside from the CCTV control room. In spite of the gas board struggling to confirm the situation, as the safety of the crowd is paramount, our safety team - in conjunction with the police - took the decision to evacuate the ground as soon as the final whistle blew.”
Our documented plan went into action and the whole safety team were informed by radio or the emergency telephones. We couldn’t let anyone evacuate onto the affected area outside so certain exits were shut and stewards prepared to redirect the crowd to alternative exits. All the toilets and kiosks were closed so people couldn’t linger.
Then as soon as the final whistle blew, we announced the evacuation over the tannoy and on the big screen. Our team successfully managed the crowd of 27, 113 people and they evacuated the stadium quickly, quietly and safely in under 15 minutes. With all exits open, our record for clearing the stadium has been stop watched at 6 minutes 20 seconds!”
Case Study 2: ‘Roaries’ Children’s Indoor Adventure Centre, Telford:
Andy Slater, Managing Director of Roaries, a new children’s indoor adventure centre in Telford, was highly conscious of the need for appropriate safety and security aspects connected with the operation and sought detailed advice from British Fire Consortium member, Florian Fire & Safety.
The adventure centre was being constructed in a converted industrial unit of around 1600 m2 – a typical high bay detached fabricated metal building incorporating a two-storey office section. In addition to the separate play areas, which were being constructed over three levels and divided by netting, the plans incorporated a cafeteria for parents which meant converting part of the offices into a full blown catering kitchen.
Following a risk assessment Florian Fire & Safety provided a solution which was acceptable to all parties including the provision of initial and ongoing staff training. Passive and active fire protections systems were specified including a full break glass and smoke detector system, portable fire extinguishers and structural fire separation around risk areas such as the kitchen. Further measures included ensuring that all materials used in the structure of the play areas were of an appropriate fire retardant specification.
In addition to these measures, it was important that a strong fire safety management system was developed and firm procedures for evacuation established without sacrificing security. The Fire Policy therefore incorporated the appointment of a designated fire safety manager as well as other members of staff being given specific roles to perform when responding to the alarm or during an evacuation.
As the natural instinct for parents in a fire situation at Roaries would be to retrieve their children rather than go to the nearest exit, staff were trained to direct parents to access points where they could collect their children rather than go into the play area to retrieve them. To help play area staff assemble the children at the access points and to shorten travel distances, Florian Fire specified safety knives to be stored securely at appropriate points to cut the netting dividing individual play areas.
To comply with strict staff-children ratios it was also clear that in addition to permanent staff, seasonal staff would be needed for the peak periods of weekends and school holidays.
Leigh-Anderson Associates are retained by the British Fire Consortium to provide PR (Press Relations) services and marketing support on request. If you have an industry comment, potential case study or other news worthy event e.g. 10 year anniversary, local award etc please call David or Alison at LAA on 01579 321750 or email BFC@leighandersonassociates.com
Ken, a former senior fire officer and qualified safety manager, runs Florian Fire & Safety Ltd, a Shrewsbury based company which offers fire and safety technical and training services in the UK and worldwide. Much of his time is spent conducting fire risk assessments in industrial, commercial, leisure and hotel premises and helping his clients plan and implement effective fire policies.
Although Fire Certificates are being phased out with the arrival of the Regulatory Reform Order, they frequently stipulated a twice yearly evacuation drill. Ken believes this frequency will probably continue as best practice in the future for many commercial premises, although the number and timing of evacuation drills should be identified as part of the individual premises’ fire safety policy. This will be established following a fire risk assessment by the employer or “responsible person”.
A shared approach:
In many organisations the Facility or Building Manager or Health and Safety Officer will be responsible for organising the evacuation drill and a “shared approach” between this individual and a specialist fire company will ensure that any planned evacuation will have the best chance of success. Ken Day’s company is a member of the British Fire Consortium (BFC), which is made up of independent fire companies, many of which specialise in conducting risk assessments and evacuation and other fire safety training.
In his experience, an independent expert will often identify aspects of an existing plan which simply won’t work in practice, or through the Facility or Building manager’s lack of specialised experience, may not have been considered. He explains, “A facility manager was explaining to me his very impressive evacuation plan for offices which were occupied by around 300 people during the day.
Various staff had been allocated different roles including incident verification, roll calls and checking various floors had been cleared. When I asked who would carry out these roles if a fire broke out at night, when there were still some shift workers and cleaners on the premises, the FM looked blank! In spite of his detailed planning, he had completely overlooked the necessity for variations to cater for night time occupancy. If there are people on your premises 24 hours a day, then the overall plan needs to work 24 hours a day – and where appropriate needs to incorporate catch-all adjustments!”
The Drill itself:
Ken Day says that if an evacuation drill is to be successful, it must be as realistic as possible. The more realistic the practice, the more effective it will be at revealing any weaknesses and problems associated with human behaviour in fire. During a drill he often uses security guards to block off commonly used exits to make employees think about using alternative escape routes.
For the same reason, the “fire” is started in a different location each time. Ken will often discreetly ask one member of staff not to go to the assembly point, just to check the accuracy of the roll call. (Remember that roll calls should always include the names of site visitors, not just staff.) Another important tip is to make sure that seasonal and part time staff don’t miss out on evacuation drills and other fire training.
“The evacuation plan must always be exclusive to an individual premises and based on the fire risk assessment for that site” he says. “Don’t be tempted to do what the manager of a hotel I assessed in Cyprus did. He had simply replicated the fire safety procedure he obtained from a hotel in London! It was obviously incompatible with his property and had we not revised it the consequences could have been dire!”
Ken also recommends that the evacuation should be planned, as far as practicable, for the time when the risk will be highest, for example in a hotel, make sure it will work at night when maximum guests and minimum staff are present. He does not advocate carrying out a fire drill in the dead of night but, in such circumstances, the plan should be proved by simulation.
The evacuation plan will of course also depend upon the type and phasing of fire alarm system installed which again, should be specified according to the risk assessment. He also points out that response to a siren or bell is often poor, whilst a recorded announcement giving specific evacuation instructions, is far more effective! A loud hailer makes assembly point management easier.
The “responsible person” must also ensure that the evacuation plan makes provision for all occupants including all categories of disability - and this will be determined through the risk assessment. An experienced consultant will be able to provide advice on specific issues such as evacuation chairs, special lifts and the application of safe refuge areas which will all depend upon the layout of the individual building and the special requirements of its occupants.
Case Study 1: Charlton Athletic Football Club:
Sean McGarrigle is the Facilities Manager at Charlton Athletic FC. “Our evacuation procedures are split into ‘match day’ and ‘non-match day’ plans” he explains. “I’m responsible for non-match day procedures and for all the systems such as the fire alarm, fire suppression system and portable extinguishers at the stadium, training grounds, youth academy hostel and mail order warehouse.
On match days, our Safety Officer, who is a serving fire officer, takes over responsibility for the evacuation procedures at the stadium and relies on these systems being fully operational. He has a deputy, a team of CCTV operators, the St. John Ambulance team, the police, as well as our match day fire marshals to support him. It’s very tightly managed and if we do have to evacuate the stadium, then he needs to know that everything’s in place.”
Sean also relies on the support of several specialist contractors. One of these is Phil Wright, whose company, SafetyCO UK, is also a British Fire Consortium member, and specialises in health and safety consultancy and training.
“Phil’s company did an overall health and safety audit for us and came up with various recommendations. My challenge was then to mould and implement those recommendations within the limitations and resources of the Club” he explains.
Through FM and specialist working together, several important initiatives have been introduced at Charlton. A staff handbook was introduced last year which Sean has written for all employees. All staff have fire training as part of their induction but the handbook re-inforces the procedures.
Phil’s audit of the existing evacuation plans also identified the need to clearly inform two sets of people about two very different procedures on match and non- match days. A discussion between Phil, Sean and Maintenance Manager, Colin Day, resulted in a simple but effective system of Fire Safety Notices which are displayed throughout the stadium and are simply turned around to show the match day procedure before each match and turned back again when the match is over to display the non-match day instructions.
The match day procedure was tested in anger last season by a gas leak just outside the stadium. Sean remembers, “It was nearing the end of the game and we were monitoring the situation outside from the CCTV control room. In spite of the gas board struggling to confirm the situation, as the safety of the crowd is paramount, our safety team - in conjunction with the police - took the decision to evacuate the ground as soon as the final whistle blew.”
Our documented plan went into action and the whole safety team were informed by radio or the emergency telephones. We couldn’t let anyone evacuate onto the affected area outside so certain exits were shut and stewards prepared to redirect the crowd to alternative exits. All the toilets and kiosks were closed so people couldn’t linger.
Then as soon as the final whistle blew, we announced the evacuation over the tannoy and on the big screen. Our team successfully managed the crowd of 27, 113 people and they evacuated the stadium quickly, quietly and safely in under 15 minutes. With all exits open, our record for clearing the stadium has been stop watched at 6 minutes 20 seconds!”
Case Study 2: ‘Roaries’ Children’s Indoor Adventure Centre, Telford:
Andy Slater, Managing Director of Roaries, a new children’s indoor adventure centre in Telford, was highly conscious of the need for appropriate safety and security aspects connected with the operation and sought detailed advice from British Fire Consortium member, Florian Fire & Safety.
The adventure centre was being constructed in a converted industrial unit of around 1600 m2 – a typical high bay detached fabricated metal building incorporating a two-storey office section. In addition to the separate play areas, which were being constructed over three levels and divided by netting, the plans incorporated a cafeteria for parents which meant converting part of the offices into a full blown catering kitchen.
Following a risk assessment Florian Fire & Safety provided a solution which was acceptable to all parties including the provision of initial and ongoing staff training. Passive and active fire protections systems were specified including a full break glass and smoke detector system, portable fire extinguishers and structural fire separation around risk areas such as the kitchen. Further measures included ensuring that all materials used in the structure of the play areas were of an appropriate fire retardant specification.
In addition to these measures, it was important that a strong fire safety management system was developed and firm procedures for evacuation established without sacrificing security. The Fire Policy therefore incorporated the appointment of a designated fire safety manager as well as other members of staff being given specific roles to perform when responding to the alarm or during an evacuation.
As the natural instinct for parents in a fire situation at Roaries would be to retrieve their children rather than go to the nearest exit, staff were trained to direct parents to access points where they could collect their children rather than go into the play area to retrieve them. To help play area staff assemble the children at the access points and to shorten travel distances, Florian Fire specified safety knives to be stored securely at appropriate points to cut the netting dividing individual play areas.
To comply with strict staff-children ratios it was also clear that in addition to permanent staff, seasonal staff would be needed for the peak periods of weekends and school holidays.
Leigh-Anderson Associates are retained by the British Fire Consortium to provide PR (Press Relations) services and marketing support on request. If you have an industry comment, potential case study or other news worthy event e.g. 10 year anniversary, local award etc please call David or Alison at LAA on 01579 321750 or email BFC@leighandersonassociates.com