EMERGENCY EVACUATION: EVAC+CHAIR
ENSURING SAFE EVACUATION FOR
ALL DURING A SECURITY THREAT
A
s the current threat level for international terrorism
in the UK is severe, Gerard Wallace from Evac+Chair
says, “now every business owner nationwide, should
ensure they have comprehensive and up-to-date evacuation
procedures in place”.
Although similar, emergency evacuation procedures caused
by security threats are tailored differently to fire evacuation
procedures; if evacuating a building to a nearby car park or
clearly marked evacuation point in a public area isn’t sensible,
for example. Neither is evacuating to a location within 500m
of a building. Emergency evacuation therefore requires the
implementation of adapted procedures suitable for this
growing threat.
A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, known as a ‘PEEP’,
must also be in place to ensure the needs of all employees and
visitors are adhered to. This is particularly important for those
who are mobility-impaired and require additional help when
evacuating.
Safe evacuation - An employer’s responsibility
As stated in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005,
it is no longer the responsibility of the fire service to facilitate
evacuation of non-domestic premises - it’s an employer’s.
The order emphasises the need for risk reduction and fire
prevention - key considerations for any pre-planning.
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HSE INTERNATIONAL
As a result, company owners must ensure their buildings
are well-prepared for evacuating all – employees, visitors,
students or the mobility-impaired – safely and efficiently.
Alongside coherent and wide-ranging evacuation procedures,
trained team members who have undergone practical training
in the operation of any evacuation equipment must be in
place.
In addition to fire evacuation procedures, regular drills for
the provision of security threats should be held to ensure all
staff are familiar with procedures.
PRE-PLANNING IS ESSENTIAL
During a security threat, no matter what the circumstance,
it can be difficult to stay calm and collected, which is why
pre-planning is essential in order to anticipate, identify and
mitigate any problems with evacuation; especially for those
who are mobility-impaired.
The government gives specific recommendations during a
terror threat - run, hide, tell.
However, not all people can escape from danger quickly,
so it is the responsibility of the business owner – also referred
to as the responsible person – to ensure safe, fast and easy
evacuation for all.