Evocation Drill

 

Hi I'm Syed Muhammad Ibtehaj Qutub.

 Imagine your workplace the only option is for everyone to get out would you be ready to clear the building safely in this program we'll show you how and explain what you'll need to know dealing with an emergency is never easy neither is evacuating a facility during one very few of us can think clearly or act logically in a crisis and our urge to get out can easily turn into panic the result can often be a stampede that causes injuries and property damage but it doesn't have to be that way because you can help to ensure that an evacuation is calm and orderly getting everyone out of the building safely in an emergency takes teamwork that means everyone needs to know who does what during an evacuation the best place to start is at the top with the evacuation wardens. 

 Evacuation wardens are co-workers who have volunteered to take responsibility for getting everyone outside to safety when an evacuation is necessary they check offices bathrooms and other spaces to make sure everyone has left and help people with special needs to evacuate safely as well the evacuation wardens themselves are some of the last people to leave the facility other key players on the team include people who have been trained to perform special tasks during an emergency some who know how to use portable fire extinguishers will remain in the building to fight smaller blazes but if the fires become too big or get out of control these people will evacuate too other people may stay in the facility.

 

 Shut down any equipment and processes that could be damaged or that might create additional hazards if they are left in operation some team members may be designated to shut off gas electricity and other utilities as well these stay behind personnel will have the knowledge and training to perform their tasks and then get out safely they will have also learned to recognize if it's become too dangerous to stay in place and they need to abandon their tasks and leave the area so where do you fit in what place do you have on the team you could choose to participate in one of the roles we've just discussed if you're interested talk to your supervisor about how to get involved but remember you can also play an important role as n evacuees because evacuees are responsible for carrying out evacuation procedures properly it's what makes the evacuation work let's examine how you can prepare to be a good evacuees important not to leave your evacuation homework until the last minute emergencies are serious business.

 You need to know how your facility's evacuation procedures are set up well in advance start by equipping yourself with specific knowledge about what people in your work area should do in an emergency particularly how to get yourself out of the building under different conditions fortunately that information isn't hard to find your facility's emergency action plan contains everything you need to know and it's available to everyone it will tell you the conditions that would require your facility to be evacuated the procedures involved in an evacuation important names and contact numbers and more do you know where the emergency alarms are located in your facility how about the closest exits you can learn by consulting the floorplan diagrams that are posted in the various areas of your building.

 They will show the locations of alarms and the evacuation routes that should be used from each work area having alarm systems in good working order and exit routes clear is key to maintaining emergency readiness so keep your eyes open and report any damage or other problems you notice a broken alarm or a blocked exit can delay an evacuation and put lives at risk but even if the route is clear just knowing the best way out of your work area isn't always enough emergencies can occur in unintel to evacuation routes from every location you work in that alternate way out could be crucial to your leaving an area safely and what if you had to evacuate in the dark or in fix smoke the conditions that may exist in an emergency can often make it difficult to see so you need to take time beforehand to learn these landmarks between your workstation and each of your exit points count the number of desks or cubicles you will pass on the way or determine.

 What floor markings you'll need to follow to get to an exit that way you'll be able to evacuate using your hands to feel the way or even crawling on the floor if necessary you also need to know where you should go once you get out of the building your evacuation plan specifies a safe location called the assembly point or marshalling area where employees from your work area should gather make sure you know where it is

and how to get to it by the way if an alarm went off right now would you recognize it do you know what it sounds like and what it indicates acting immediately when you hear that sound will save precious time when you need it most so get familiar with all of the alarms in your facility and what they mean now that we've identified what you need to know before an evacuation let's get to what you should do during the evacuation itself when you hear an evacuation alarm you know it's time to move and emergency is in progress and the decision has been made to evacuate your workplace now's the time to put your facility's emergency planning and your own preparation to good use listen carefully for instructions over the building's Public Address systems evacuation wardens or emergency personnel may have specific instructions for you as well remember your evacuation plan.

  If it says you should turn off any equipment you're using and close any windows do that first leave the area quickly and in an orderly manner don't delay to grab things to take with you remember never use an elevator in an emergency always take the stairs walk don't run you can set a good example for your co-workers by staying calm if you see co-workers who seem upset or unsure of what to do encourage them to come along and follow you out of the building assist anyone who is an immediate danger but not if it puts you at risk that's the job of Emergency Response personnel.

  If someone is not accounted for you may be asked where you last saw them this information can be critical for emergency responders who are initiating search-and-rescue operations so pay attention to what's going on around you as you leave once you get outside move away from the building go immediately to your assembly point as soon as you arrive report yourself present some emergencies may require further evacuation to an off-site location in these cases transportation will be provided by company or civil authorities do not re-enter the building until you've been told that it's safe to go back inside if the situation is serious enough you may simply be advised to go home now let's look at evacuation procedures that are used in some special situations why is an evacuation from a high-rise building different because moving all the occupants of a multi-story building all the way to ground level and out of the building may not be safe practical or even necessary completely clearing a high-rise could mean thousands of people walking down endless flights of stairs that alone puts a massive physical strain on evacuees and the process could take hours so safety engineers came up with a better alternative one that focuses on the areas that are immediately surrounding the emergency say a fire is discovered in a storage room on a building's 15th floor and the fire alarm is activated instead of evacuating the entire building safety and emergency personnel focus their response on the floor where the emergency is located plus the floors immediately above and below it in this case floors 14 and 16 as well instructions are given directly to the occupants of the affected floors through the building's public address system people are directed to proceed down the exit stairs to an assembly point several floors below for instance on the tenth floor in our example for these building occupants the evacuation proceeds very much like any other evacuation wardens help them leave the affected floors some employees may remain to perform special duties evacuees proceed calmly down the exit stairs to their assembly point.

 

 The tenth floor depending on the type of emergency and how it progresses safety personnel and emergency responders will decide what the next steps should be evacuated personnel may then be asked to remain where they are returned to their own floors or evacuate to street level people on other floors are alerted but not involved in the evacuation directly if your facility is located in a multi-story building your crisis management team will have worked with the building's management and other tenants and the fire department to develop a coordinated emergency action plan based on this model your job is to prepare for the unexpected now by familiarizing yourself with this plan next we'll deal with a type of emergency that's a real hot topic every year nearly a hundred thousand workplace fires occur in all types of facilities evacuating safely from a burning building requires some special procedures to protect you from the fire and to prevent the fire from spreading for example when you're leaving a building during a fire emergency you need to feel all doors before opening them if a door feels hot it's very likely that there's fire on the other side and you should not open it use an alternate exit route instead remember to close doors behind you to delay the spread of smoke and fire as well if you have to go through smoke or flame stay low since heat rises this will keep you where the air is cleaner and cooler walk on your hands and knees.

 If necessary do not use elevators go directly to the nearest stairwell if possible use one that's not involved in the blaze but if you find that the only available exit route contains fire or smoke remember to stay low sometimes fires are caused by explosions and sometimes they cause explosions the important thing to remember is that explosions can damage buildings and make them dangerously unstable that means as you evacuate you should avoid windows and other things that could shatter or fall on you if debris does start to come down around you take shelter under a sturdy table or desk don't attempt to rescue other people who may be trapped leave that to emergency responders.

 The right training and equipment but give them information about anyone you know is still in the building immediately if you can make your way out of the building and go to your assigned assembly point there's the risk of an explosion in our next type of emergency too if your facility handles hazardous materials in addition to all of the normal problems that occur during an emergency the building could become contaminated in that case your emergency action plan will include procedures for dealing with the hazardous substances that are on-site but it's important to find out more about these materials for yourself ahead of time you can learn about their potential hazards the precautions they require and what personal protective equipment you should use if you are exposed to them by consulting their safety data sheets even if your own facility has nothing to do with hazmats external sources of contamination such as an accident at a nearby chemical plant or an overturned tanker truck on the highway can still put you at risk your emergency action plan will take these situations into account as well if an evacuation is called because of a hazmat incident you should immediately put on any PPE.

 

 That is specified in your evacuation plan if you are a part of an emergency response team or have special duties such as shutting down processes or utilities proceed according to your instructions otherwise leave the area immediately go to the assembly point that has been specified for the situation you're dealing with it should be upstream upwind or crosswind from the contamination source stay away from any unfamiliar liquid or solid substances avoid breathing in any smoke fumes gases or vapors and stay out of low places like basements and ditches where they collect assists anyone who appears confused or incapacitated they may be feeling the effects of contamination themselves when you get to the assembly point report for roll call let them know if you think you've been exposed to any contaminants even if you don't feel anything wrong physical symptoms don't always appear immediately and prompt treatment is crucial some substances such as crude oil gasoline and natural gas are not only hazardous because exposure to them can affect your health but the materials themselves even just their fumes could also explode if they're ignited by a flame or spark if you have to evacuate because of a spill or leak of these types of materials be extremely careful not to use the switches on any electrical equipment just flipping them on or off can produce a spark even after you reach your assembly point a spark or flame could be catastrophic so don't light up a cigarette or use your cell phone until you get official word that it's safe clearing a facility under emergency conditions is a serious challenge but as we've seen planning ahead and knowing what to do during an evacuation will help get you and your co-workers out safely let's review know who is supposed to do cwhat in an evacuation and where you fit into the plan take time in advance to learn at least two evacuation routes you can use from your work area when an evacuation alarm rings stay calm leave the area and report to your assembly point in a fire stay low to avoid heat and smoke never open a hot door if hazardous materials are involved stay upwind and upstream from the source of contamination emergencies are always unpredictable but if we prepare for them ahead of time understand the role we play in an evacuation and carry it out can still go home safe at the end of the day....................