3.6 Fire and other emergencies
The safe evacuation of all people in an emergency forms a key part of the University's health and safety commitment.
Arrangements
Responsibilities of Deans, Directors and Heads
- Ensuring that a local emergency plan forms part of their Local Arrangements for health, safety and welfare.
- Appointing Building Evacuation Controllers and Fire Wardens as required and ensure adequate cover when the building is occupied by staff and students.
- Ensuring that escape routes are appropriately identified and maintained.
- Ensuring that staff are trained in the use of evacuation chairs, where these are provided, to evacuate those with mobility difficulties.
- Ensuring that Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS) are prepared for each individuals that require them.
- Ensuring good communication between management and staff, particularly where there are organisational and procedural changes.
- Ensuring staff are fully trained to discharge their duties with respect to the Emergency Plan.
- Attending training as recommended by good management practice and health and safety requirements.
- Ensuring that the local emergency plan is monitored, reviewed and revised as necessary.
Responsibilities of Health and Safety Department
- Providing specialist advice and training.
- Providing feedback to local management and the Health and Safety Committee of the effectiveness of evacuation drills and of annual statistics.
Responsibilities of Facilities and Estates Department
- Arranging for Emergency Action notices to be displayed.
- Designating refuge areas for those with mobility difficulties who cannot be evacuated without assistance - in consultation with local managers.
- Providing support to the Building Evacuation Controllers appointed by Faculties and Support Departments during evacuation in normal working hours.
- Arranging for Security staff to act as Building Evacuation Controllers during fire alarms and other evacuations outside of normal working hours.
- Providing staff to silence, reset and maintain fire detection systems in all University buildings and complete Fire Impairment Forms when parts of the system are planned to be inoperative.
Responsibilities of Security staff
- Acting as Building Evacuation Controllers outside of normal working hours.
- Notifying the University Duty Manager immediately they become aware that there is an actual fire.
Responsibilities of Employees
- Sounding the alarm in an emergency.
- Acting as Fire Wardens when requested to enable the University to meet its statutory obligations.
- Raising issues of concern with their safety representative, line manager or Health and Safety staff.
- Attending relevant training sessions.
Responsibilities of Building Evacuation Controllers
- Building Evacuation Controllers are responsible for managing the safe evacuation of the building(s) under their control. Arrangements should be in place to ensure that there is always a nominated Buildings Evacuation Controller available during normal hours of business. This may mean that two or more persons are nominated - to ensure that there is cover during periods of leave, sickness and other absences.
- The Building Evacuation Controller is responsible for ensuring that the emergency services have been summoned, if necessary.
- The Building Evacuation Controller is responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place to prevent people from (re-)entering the building before it is safe to do so.
- The Building Evacuation Controller is responsible for liaising with the emergency services (fire, police, ambulance, bomb squad) if in attendance.
- The Building Evacuation Controller is responsible for determining when it is safe to re-enter buildings after an emergency evacuation. This decision must be taken in consultation with the emergency services - if in attendance.
- The Building Evacuation Controller is responsible for informing the Health & Safety Department using the Record of Evacuation:
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Responsibilities of Fire Wardens
- Checking designated areas to ensure that all persons are aware of emergency situations and of the emergency procedures. If a room is not empty, and any individual refuses a request to leave the Fire Warden should not remain but note the situation and continue with the check. (Persons refusing to leave a building or failing to attend the assembly point put others at risk if a search or rescue attempt has to be organised. Failure to comply with the evacuation procedures is a serious disciplinary offence.)
- Reporting to the Building Evacuation Controller (BEC) at the assembly point, when the checks are complete. The presence, name and location of persons still in the building should be given to the Building Evacuation Controller (BEC).
- Wearing designated arm band, if practical, to assist in their identification.
Responsibilities of staff in charge of students
- Ensuring that all persons in their charge evacuate the building.
- Ensuring that disabled and incapacitated persons receive appropriate assistance to move to a designated refuge area or to the assembly point, as appropriate.
- If it is safe to do so, ensuring that materials and equipment are left in a safe condition.
- Ensuring that persons in their charge proceed to the assembly point.
- Ensuring that all persons in their charge have mustered at the assembly point.
- Reporting to the Building Evacuation Controller any persons who require further assistance at refuge areas or not mustered at the assembly point.
- Reporting promptly to the Building Evacuation Controller that their area has been cleared
Escape routes
Escape routes should be appropriately identified, clear of obstructions and provide exit to a place of safety at all times when the area is occupied.
Emergency signs
Escape routes and emergency equipment must be easily identifiable and signs must conform to relevant statutory provisions. Heads should liaise with Facilities and Estates to ensure that appropriate signs are in place and properly maintained.
Assembly points
The location of assembly points should be defined after adequate consultation between Facilities and Estates, the Health and Safety Department and local managers.
Fire drills
In order to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, safe evacuation from buildings in an emergency evacuation, practices will be held at least annually in academic buildings and in university halls of residence. Faculties, Departments and Sections will appoint members of staff to assist in ensuring safe evacuation of employees, students and visitors. Detailed procedures should be spelt out in the appropriate Local Arrangements policy.
Fire emergency
- Any member of staff discovering a fire should sound the alarm by means of the nearest 'break glass' alarm point, shouting "Fire" and dialling the emergency services (9-999 from University internal phone or 999 from any mobile or public phone).
- If the fire can be easily extinguished, without risk, trained staff should do so. As a 'rule of thumb' - if the fire is bigger than a fire in a waste paper basket, then staff should NOT tackle the fire but implement the evacuation procedures.
- The member of staff acting as Building Evacuation Controller or another senior member of staff should ensure that the emergency services have been summoned (9-999 from University internal phone or 999 from any mobile or public phone).
- Even in those cases where the fire panel is connected to a monitoring service, the fire service should be summoned by confirming with a personal call. Ideally, the following additional contact points would be notified: Health and Safety Department 01582 489356; Security 01582 489256; and Polhill 01234 793134.
- If security become aware of an 'out of hours' activation they must call the fire brigade and notify the Duty Manager.
- The Building Evacuation Controller is responsible for determining in consultation with the senior fire officer (if in attendance) when it is safe to re-enter the building.
Other emergencies
Detailed procedures should be spelt out in the appropriate Local Arrangements policy.
The building should be evacuated when the emergency alarm sounds. All staff, students, and others must stop what they are doing and immediately leave the building by the nearest exit and proceed without delay to the nominated assembly point.
Equipment should be made safe, windows and doors closed.
Staff and students may take their bags and briefcases with them unless this would delay the evacuation. Doors to rooms other than student bedrooms in Halls should not be locked as this will restrict entry of the emergency services and delay any search that may be necessary.
Word of mouth evacuation
Staff and students should collect their bags, coats and personal possessions and move to the assembly point.
Under certain circumstances the Chief Executive and Vice Chancellor (or the person deputising for him), may decide that the affected Building/s is/are not to be evacuated, in which case a search will be instigated according to Local Arrangements.
Guidance
Selection of Fire Wardens
When choosing a Fire Warden, Deans and Heads might take into consideration the following points:
a) The Fire Warden should be selected from those members of staff who spend most of their time in the building or from areas which are regularly staffed.
b) Where possible they should be selected so that they only have to check rooms between their normal workstation and the fire exit.
c) The area to be checked should be kept as small as possible so that the Fire Warden is familiar with the hazards in the areas to be checked.
d) There should be a system in operation that ensures that if the Fire Warden is not available another member of staff automatically assumes the role.
Emergency Action Notices
These notices should be displayed in the University to enable all people to know what actions to take in the case of emergencies. However, these notices should be placed at strategic locations rather than in confetti like abundance. Many aspects of these signs are dictated by legal requirements and advice should be sought from the Health and Safety Department.
Terrorism
Terrorist or criminal incidents where letters or packages are booby-trapped with bombs or biological or chemical agents are extremely rare. Most bomb threats are made by callers who want to create an atmosphere of general anxiety and panic. If you receive a bomb threat or warning over the phone, remain calm and take notes of the message. Phone the Emergency Hotline (ext 4444) advise them of the situation but DO NOT use a radio or mobile phone if there is likely to be a bomb in the vicinity. The person answering the phone might refer to the following for guidance:
