We all know that Fire & Life Safety planning saves assets and lives.  Is your emergency response pre-plan up to par? If your plan is gathering dust in a file cabinet, it may be time to review its effectiveness.

Does your plan cover the following general areas?

Additionally, your pre-plan should provide the following information in advance to all emergency responders:

– Floor plans and large scale maps showing evacuation routes and service conduits (such as gas and water lines)

– Number of building occupants, how that varies per shift and any special evacuation needs

– Length of challenging hose stretches to various points in building

– Limitations on ground/aerial ladder access

– Details on protection/detection features (fire and carbon monoxide detectors, hose connections, water supplies, fire alarm panels, etc.)

– Means to ventilate the building

– Elevator locations and how to control/access them

– Location of hazardous materials

– Where a spill in or around the building would drain

– Information on confined spaces in the building

– Location of potential medevac landing zones and triage areas

– Door swing directions and other important “access” information

The most effective Fire & Life Safety plans manage, track and monitor all emergency preparedness information from one central, web-based location that can be accessed by building occupants at any time,  they keep records secure with Tier 1 off-site data storage and they automate their emergency notification and response process.

*Sources: OSHA, Campus Safety Magazine