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I. EVACUATION PROCEDURES
A. If you discover a fire:
1. Actuate the nearest fire alarm box and exit the building to the designated safe area for the affected building.
2. If the alarm does not sound, warn the others in the building of the fire emergency.
3. From a safe location, dial: 911 and give your location, the nature of the fire, and your name. Do this regardless of the size and location of the fire.
4. Fire fighting should be attempted by trained personnel only.
B. When an alarm sounds:
1. Do not stop for valuables.
2. Shut-off gas (in laboratories) and electrical appliances.
3. Leave your light on.
4. Close your doors and windows.
5. If you lock your door (not recommended), take your keys with you.
6. Alert others around you.
7. Assist handicapped individuals in evacuating according to specific plan.
8. Go to the nearest exit or enclosed stairway when the alarm sounds in the building. Most enclosed stairways are fire resistant and present barriers to smoke if the doors are kept closed.
9. If the stairway is involved with fire or smoke, or otherwise obstructed, select another approved escape route.
DO NOT TAKE ELEVATORS. By their very nature, they are among the worst places to be when fire strikes. 1
1. Loss of electrical power in the building, could cause individuals to become trapped between floors.
2. The elevator shaft can act as a chimney, lending itself to the passage and accumulation of hot gases and smoke generated by the fire.
3. Elevators may stop on the fire floor and expose elevator passengers to toxic smoke and flames.
4. If the smoke is thick enough, it can occlude the electric eye light beam and the elevator doors won't close, potentially trapping its passengers in a box of flames and toxic gases.
5. Elevators can act like giant pistons pushing smoke and fire to other parts of the building.
6. Because of its specialized nature, rescue efforts in elevators are slower and more difficult than one would expect.
7. When exiting you should walk, never run, and keep to the right in the hallways.
8. Move any obstructions (chairs, stools, carts, etc.) found in passageways or exits to one side.
9. Go to the designated Safe Area for your building so that your supervisor and/or the Building Evacuation Monitor may account for you. Do not congregate in the lobby areas or just outside of the exit doors. Those areas may not be safe and must be free of congestion for emergency personnel access
10. Leave the building, even if the alarm stops while you are on your way out.
11. Look for others who work or live near you to insure everyone has evacuated.
12. Give any information about the fire or about persons who might be in the building to the fire fighters, your supervisor or the CBL Safety Officer.
13. Do not re-enter the building for any reason until told to do so by the Fire Department.
NEVER re-enter the building for clothing, valuables, or any other items left inside. They are not worth your life!
The only exception to evacuation is when a designed evacuation plan utilizes a handicapped refuge area that has been approved by the Safety Committee. This may include horizontal evacuation in the same building.
C. If you can't leave the building:
1. Crawl or stay low to the floor where there is cleaner and cooler air.
2. Avoid inhaling the smoke if you can.
3. Go back to your office/lab and close the door.
4. Dial the emergency telephone number (Dial 911 at CBL).
5. Open one window if the fire is not below the window.
6. If possible, use tape or put wet towels around the cracks in the door, vents, louvers, etc.. Duct tape is particularly useful for this purpose.
7. Breathe through a wet towel or handkerchief placed over the nose and mouth.
8. Make your presence known by periodically appearing at the window. (Wave something such as a towel, shirt, etc.)
9. If the door feels hot, wet it with water, assuming that water is available.
10. Do not jump out of windows or climb on ledges.
11. If you are on the first floor, evacuation through a window may be done safely.
12. To avoid being cut, try opening the window first, rather than breaking it.
13. Do not break window on upper floors unless absolutely necessary for survival because broken glass may injure persons below.
D. Important notes:
1. Keep calm. A fire may be hot, noisy, and generally overwhelming, but your best weapon is a composed and logical approach.
2. Focus on the task at hand. Keep asking yourself "What do I do next to get out alive?"
3. Assume there is a fire when the alarm sounds.
4. Handicapped individuals may need assistance in the event of an emergency.
a. If you are unable to assist, make sure the fire and rescue people know where that individual may be found.
5. Clothing Fires. If your clothing catches fire, don't run. Drop and roll covering your face with your hand instead.
a. Try to keep fire away from face and breathing passages.
b. Call out for help, then drop and roll immediately.
c. Rolling, using a covering such as a fire blanket or a coat will provide some protection to the rescuer's hands and help smother the flames more effectively.
II. Clothing tips:
1. Be aware that loosely fitting clothing has propensity to burn more rapidly because of the abundant air supply.
2. Many of the synthetic textiles in use today have a tendency to melt into globules and can stick or embed itself into the skin.
a. Dowse in cool water after flames are knocked own to further extinguish fire and to help relieve pain.
b. Avoid this type of clothing when working in laboratories, kitchens, or in shops where reaching over open flames is possible.
3. Wearing a fire retardant or fire resistant laboratory coat or other protective clothing is recommended in these cases.
III. Smoke
1. Fear smoke, it can be deadly.
a. Fire and smoke doors, usually located in stairwells and in long corridors, are designed to prevent smoke and the toxic products of combustion from spreading throughout the building. These doors allow for safe egress in the event of fire as long as they are not blocked open with wooden wedges or weights or have their operation obstructed in some manner.
IV. After the Fire
1. Don't re-enter until told it is safe to do so by the fire department.
2. If the fire was in your area, don't disturb the contents until the Safety Officer or designee has had a chance to investigate and photograph the fire for insurance purposes.
3. Leave the building and proceed to your prearranged waiting and meeting area.
a. Do not remain in entrances or lobby areas.
b. Failure to evacuate is considered interference with fire fighting operations; violations may be punishable by law.
c. At the prearranged waiting and meeting areas supervisors will issue further instructions.
d. If you cannot account for everyone and suspect that someone may still be inside the building, notify fire department personnel. Firefighters will always give first priority to saving lives.
For more detailed information about evacuation procedures, visit the CBL Emergency Evacuation Procedures page.
Appendix A: Fire Extinguisher Use
Each campus building is equipped with ABC type fire extinguishers. This type of extinguisher is suitable for handling three classifications of fire:
1. A-type fires: Combustible materials such as paper, wood, and textiles;
2. B-type fires: Flammable liquids such as laboratory solvents (alcohols, acetone, hexanes, etc.), gasoline, paint solvents, etc.;
3. C-type fires: Electrical fires resulting from overloaded circuits, faulty wiring in instruments and appliances, etc..
Buildings that are primarily office space are equipped with a minimum of one 5 pound ABC extinguisher per floor, usually located in the hallway by the exit.
Campus buildings that are primarily laboratory space are provided with a minimum of one 10 pound ABC extinguisher per laboratory suite. These extinguishers may be found in the main lab areas adjacent to the exit.
Fire fighting should only be attempted by trained personnel and then only if two additional criteria are met.
1. The fire is at the incipient stage and less than 1 m2;
2. You have been trained to use a fire extinguisher. Qualified personnel who elect to use extinguishers to put out fires shall follow the PASS method:
P ull the pin.
A im the extinguisher nozzle (horn or hose) at the base of the flames.
S queeze or press the handle to release the extinguishing agent.
S weep the extinguisher from side to side at the base of the fire.
ALWAYS keep your back to the exit so that you can exit the building quickly should that option become necessary.
For more information about fire safety at CBL, please contact Stacy Hutchinson, at campus extension 364 or '0' for CBL operator.
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