Policies & Procedures

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EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE

PURPOSE

The responsibility for carrying out emergency drills rest on the occupier of the premises. An emergency drill is intended to ensure, by means of training and rehearsal, that in the event of a fire or other emergency, the following measures are taken into consideration: -

- The people who may be in danger act in a calm and orderly manner.

- Those who are assigned responsibilities, carry out their duties diligently to ensure the safety of all c-concerned.

- Means of escape are used in accordance with a pre-determined and practiced plan of action.

-If evacuation of a building becomes necessary, it should be done speedily and orderly.

The evacuation procedure for a fire would be the same for any emergency that requires an evacuation.

PLAN OF ACTION

Sounding The Alarm

Any person discovering an emergency should sound an alarm.

Informing Authority

A designated person from each building should also be required to telephone the UWI Security Office (Exts. 2120; 2121 or 662-4783) as soon as an alarm is sounded. Security will then call the Fire Services or other emergency response team.

Evacuation of Building

The appointment of competent Fire Wardens is critical (approximately one for every 25). They are responsible for the prompt and safe evacuation of people in their area and are usually assisted by evacuation monitors or other persons co-opted. They must ensure speedy evacuation of the building and should make a quick search of the premises to ensure that everyone has left.

Assembly Points

Designated assembly points should be pre-determined and so communicated. Assembly point locations may change depending on where the emergency actually takes place. In premises where members of the public are present, precautions must be taken to ensure their safety by: -

- Persuading them to follow any procedures that might be in place.

- Reassuring them while leading to the respective exits.

Roll-Call

At least one person in each building or department should have the responsibility of maintaining a register so that a quick check can be made to ascertain if everyone is accounted for. This will depend on the type and location of the premises and may not always be possible. In those instances a “buddy” system can be used. The Emergency Response Team should be informed immediately if anyone is missing.

Firefighting

Only fight a fire that can be extinguished/controlled with the fire fighting equipment at hand and one for which you have the “know how”. In fact, all employees should know the location of the fire extinguishers, fire hoses etc. and how to use them. It is imperative however, that firefighting be done secondary to personal safety.

FREQUENCY OF DRILLS

The frequency of drills will depend largely on the turnover of staff but regular practices should be carried out at least once a year. This would encourage discipline and assist in developing a sense of rational among employees so that when they are confronted with an emergency they would respond in the manner outlined above.