Environmental Health & Safety

Off-Site Fire Safety Program

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This fire safety plan must be kept in the workplace and available for all employees to review. This plan will identify the procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency, emergency evacuation, accountability of all employees after an evacuation, staff responsibilities for performing rescue or medical duties where applicable and who to contact for detailed plan information. You are required to be trained in this plan upon initial assignment to this off-site, if your responsibilities to the plan change or if the plan itself changes.

Procedures For Reporting a Fire:

911

Procedures For Reporting Other Emergencies:

For police or medical emergencies contact 911
For utility emergencies contact your supervisor who in turn will notify the landlord
For loss of telephone or computer services contact your supervisor who in turn will contact the appropriate service provider.

Procedures For Emergency Evacuation:

If in smoke or heat crawl, keep low to avoid deadly smoke, heat and fumes. If there is smoke in corridor, stay in room, close and seal doors, dial 911 for help, stand by window.

Before opening any doors, feel the door first. If it is hot, don’t open the door. If it isn’t hot, brace yourself against the door, open it slightly, and if heat or heavy smoke is present, close the door and leave by an alternate exit.

If you can’t leave the room, keep the door closed. Open the windows from the top to let out heat and smoke and from the bottom to let in fresh air. Seal the bottom of your room door and air vents with a rug, blanket or towel. Then hang a light colored object (towel, bed sheet, shirt etc.) out the window to attract the Fire Department’s attention. If there is a phone in the room call 911 and report that you are trapped. Be sure to give your building name and location.

If you can leave the room, leave a light on and close all doors behind you. Leave all material in your room or office to avoid wasting time. Take your key incase you cannot reach an exit and you have to return to your room.

Go to the nearest exit or stairway. If the first exit is blocked, go to an alternate exit or stairway.

Never use an elevator during a fire emergency. A mechanical or electrical failure could leave you trapped at the fire floor or between floors.

If you are not able to self evacuate, either proceed to an enclosed stairwell or to a designated area of safe refuge, depending upon your building. If you go to an enclosed stairwell, be sure to position yourself so as not to block or impede pedestrian flow or access to the stairwell.

If you go to a designated area of safe refuge, use the two-way communication device, giving your exact location – building, floor and stairwell/room number.

If all exits are blocked, go back to your room, close the door, open the window, as previously described.

If you have patients that are cannot ambulate contact your supervisor for your more site-specific evacuation plan. Such actions are only to be performed when it can be done without undue risk.

Buildings should be evacuated using designated ways of egress (corridors are marked exits). Unless involved in the fire themselves, these should provide 1 hour or more of protection from heat and smoke. When in the fire-affected zone, move quickly away from the fire and beyond any fire door; evacuation to safety may then be done in an expeditious but calm manner.

Stand clear of the area after evacuating to give emergency apparatus and personnel room to maneuver. Go to a designated meeting area and stay there. If possible, call 911 from a neighboring area and give as much information as possible.

Each person not involved in the emergency procedures should follow the directions of fire, security, and other emergency personnel.

No persons may re-enter an evacuated building until permitted by emergency personnel.

Each university member has the responsibility of knowing the location of the fire alarm station, fire extinguisher and primary and secondary exit routes for his primary place of occupancy. Should a fire discovered or suspected; a fire alarm should be sounded immediately. (If time permits, call 911 as well as activating a pull station.)

If you discover or suspect a fire, sound the building fire alarm immediately. All fires, even small ones must be reported.

When an alarm sounds, every building occupant shall evacuate the building immediately. Treat every alarm as an actual emergency.

Be especially aware of handicapped persons in your building. They may need your help to reach a point of safety such as a stairwell. Report to the fire department the location of the individual.

Rescue others only if you have been trained and can do so safely.

Accountability:

It is the supervisor’s responsibility to make sure all occupants in their area of responsibility are accounted for. All staff that evacuates the building shall report to your designated meeting area and advise your supervisor you have exited the building.
For a building with patients who cannot evacuate a more specific plan is required that designates areas of safe refuge and assigns staff to support these patients.

Staff Responsibilities for Performing Rescue or Medical Duties:

If you are responsible for patient care you are expected to assist in the safe evacuation of the patient. If the patient is to be evacuated you may use one the following techniques for removing limited mobility patients.

For one-person carries:

Cradle Drop

Fold a blanket in half length-wise and place it on the floor beside the bed.
Slide one arm under the patient’s neck and shoulder and the other under the patient’s back.
Pull the patient to the end of the bed, drop down to one knee and lower the patient so that your knee supports the patient’s back.
Let the patient slide gently to the blanket and pull the patient headfirst from the room.

For two-person carries:

Swing Carry

The first person raises the patient to a sitting position at the edge of the bed and places one arm behind the patient’s shoulder and the other arm under the patient’s knee.
The second person places one arm behind the patient and grasps the first person’s shoulder, then places their other arm under the patient’s knees and grasps the first person’s wrists.
The patient sits on the rescuers’ clasped hands and wrists and leans back against their arms.

The Extremity Carry

The first person raises the patient to a sitting position; then, from behind, reaches under the patient’s armpits and grasps their own wrists in front of the patient’s chest.
The second person moves between the patient’s legs with their back to the patient and encircles the patient’s legs at the knees with each arm.
The first person hugs and lifts while the second carries the patient’s legs and the patient is moved feet first.

For medical situations you should call 911 and initiate CPR is trained. Refer to your site-specific procedures to see if you have a defibrillator, oxygen and/or an emergency cart.

Contact Information:

For detailed information about your off-site evacuation plan contact your supervisor. Further guidance can be provided by the University Fire Marshal by calling (585) 275-3241.

Fire Extinguishers:

Used properly, a portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by extinguishing a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives. Portable fire extinguishers, however, are not designed to fight large or spreading fires.
Reactions to a fire can determine whether or not the incident is controlled. Following established procedures is critical to saving lives and property. It is important that employees learn appropriate emergency procedures.
Extinguish the fire if you have activated the fire alarm and closed doors, the fire is small and contained, you have a clear exit from the fire and you have been trained on the proper use of an extinguisher within the last year.
Remember -- fire spreads quickly. If you cannot extinguish it in 30 seconds, get yourself out.

To chose the proper extinguisher:

For ordinary fires involving solids such as wood, paper, and cloth, choose a water or dry chemical extinguisher with a label that says Class A. Do not use water on flammable liquid or electrical fires.
For fires involving flammable liquids, choose a dry chemical or carbon dioxide extinguisher with a label that says Class B. Never use a water extinguisher.
For fires involving active electrical equipment, choose a dry chemical or carbon dioxide extinguisher with a label that says Class C. Never use a water extinguisher.
For fires involving metals, chose a graphite extinguisher with label that says Class D or use sand found in buckets located in laboratories. Never use an A, B, or C extinguisher on this type of fire.
For fires involving cooking equipment such as deep fat fryer chose a wet chemical extinguisher with a label that says Class K. Never use a water extinguisher.

To use an extinguisher:

Remember the acronym PASS, keep a clear exit behind you and stand 6-8 feet away from the fire.

Pull the pin to activate the handle.
Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire
Squeeze the handle to expel the extinguishing agent. (When the agent first hits the fire, the fire may briefly flare up. This should be expected.)
Sweep the extinguishing agent from side to side pushing the fire away from you. Discharge the entire contents of the extinguisher.

Once the fire is out, the user should carefully back away from the fire with the extinguisher ready until the user is safe. Never turn your back on fire as it could flare back up.

When to Fight a Fire

The only time a fire extinguisher should be used to fight a fire is when the fire department has been notified, there is a clear exit behind the person using the extinguisher and the fire is small, self-contained, and not spreading rapidly.

Never Fight a Fire If

the fire alarm has not been activated and an evacuation has not begun
the fire is spreading beyond the point where it started.
you don’t know what is burning – then you won’t know what type of fire extinguisher to use.
there is not an escape exit behind the person attempting to fight the fire.
the fire can block the only exit.
you might inhale toxic smoke.
the individual is not thoroughly familiar with effective fire extinguisher use.
the available fire extinguisher is not rated for the type of fire being fought.
your instincts tell you not to. If you are uncomfortable with the situation for any reason, get out and let the fire department fight the fire.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to schedule extinguisher training, call the EH&S Fire Marshal’s Office at ext. 5-3243.

QUESTIONS or COMMENTS?
Contact EH&S at (585) 275-3241 or e-mail EH&S Questions.

This page last updated 4/20/2011. Disclaimer.

Environmental Health & Safety

Off-Site Fire Safety Program

Emergency Phone Numbers