For many businesses and organizations, fire prevention and safety play a critical role in keeping employees, customers, and property safe in an emergency. Each year fires affect commercial buildings and businesses where damages are extensive. While fires themselves are dangerous enough, the threat of injury and loss of life can be compounded by chaos and panic if your company is unprepared. The best way to prevent loss of life and severe damage in the event of a fire is to develop and implement a well-developed evacuation plan. Not only will a detailed evacuation plan provide direction in the event of a fire, but also in other emergencies where people need to exit buildings quickly.
Whether your company is developing its initial fire evacuation plan or you want to improve upon existing emergency procedures, these steps will help guide you through the process to ensure your people and property are kept safe.
Envision Multiple Scenarios
When you begin structuring your fire evacuation, explore various threats that your business may face in the event of a fire. While most fire safety and evacuation standards have a broad range of implications, each business is unique and thus will have specific needs that should be met.
Some questions you should answer include:
- What areas are high risk for a fire? (kitchens, cooking equipment, mechanical rooms, electrical boxes, etc.)
- How and why might a fire start?
- What are my evacuation concerns?
- What if ‘X’ happens?
Thinking through these questions will help you establish a framework for creating an action plan by considering how a fire emergency could affect your business.
Establish Responsibilities And Roles
Employees of your company will look to their leaders for guidance in a fire emergency. Establish clear roles and responsibilities for your management and create a chain of command. Determine what positions are essential for your business’s specific needs and who should be in these positions. Some primary positions to consider as part of your fire evacuation plan are the following:
* Chief of Evacuation Plan is responsible for administering the plan.
* Assistant Chief issues mass alert system, including notifying employees, emergency agencies, and other essential people.
* Route Guides ensure that evacuation routes are clear, that people exit in an orderly fashion, and that floors are cleared.
* Fire Extinguisher is responsible for using fire extinguishing equipment to get people safely exited.
Designate A Routine Inspection Of Your Fire Protection Equipment
If your fire extinguishing equipment is outdated, it will not keep you and your property safe in a fire. Designate a timeframe for inspecting your fire safety equipment to ensure your business is outfitted appropriately and all systems are operable, including:
* Fire alarms and fire extinguishing systems
* Emergency doors
* Secondary evacuation equipment like ladders if applicable
* Clear emergency and exit signage
By following these steps, you can develop the framework for a high-quality commercial fire evacuation plan.