9.4.4 Fire Drills

At the start of each academic term, the department member instructs students and other personnel who are occupying the department member's area of responsibility on the proper procedures to follow in case the building must be evacuated. The following information is included in the instructions:

1. The signal to evacuate the building in case of emergency is the building fire alarm.
2. The evacuation must be orderly. Walk to exits. It is the department member's responsibility to direct students to the safest exit.
3. Certain safety precautions are necessary before actually departing, such as: turn off gas and lights and close windows/doors, etc.
4. Location of exits nearest to the department's location should be pointed out.
5. Building elevators are not to be used for evacuation.
6. Elevators are for use of rescue workers, police, and fire fighters. The building custodian brings the elevators to the first floor. Personnel could become trapped in them by nature of the emergency.
7. Personnel are not to congregate in or around the building exits or doorways, once they are outside the building or emergency area.
8. Personnel must be at least 100 feet away from the building to enable rescue or responding vehicles and personnel to get to the site of the emergency.
9. Personnel may re-enter the building only when the Public Safety Officer at the scene of the emergency situation gives the "All Clear." The Public Safety Officer promptly informs building evacuees of the reason for the evacuation.
10. Department chairs must make arrangements for safe evacuation of staff with mobility impairments. Faculty are responsible for making arrangements for their students with such impairments.
11. Students and employees who need assistance are to wait until the others have evacuated so as not to cause delays at exit openings and stairs.
12. Persons in wheel chairs are to be assisted to a designated safe refuge area (usually the landing of an enclosed stairway) if evacuation is necessary from other than a ground level floor. A designated person will direct fire fighters to the location of anyone waiting for assistance in a safe refuge area.