Engineering > Fire & Life-Safety > Emergency Evacuations > Evac Plans

Fire and Life-Safety Group (FLS)

Emergency Evacuation Plans

This document was prepared to list some but not all of the requirements based on the latest edition of adopted codes in 2004.  Please ensure that all the requirements of applicable codes at the time of new installations or changes to existing installations are verified and implemented. 

Emergency Evacuation Plan - UCB Campus Policy

The emergency evacuation plan for the UCB Campus is currently under revision and will be available shortly.

Emergency Evacuation Plan - Assembly Occupancies

Introduction

The following summarizes our written emergency planning for the Assembly Occupancies, e.g. Stadium or Event Center. Bomb threats and similar conditions, not discussed below, are subject to pre-established procedures by the University of Colorado Police Department (CUPD).

Fire Evacuation Plans (FEP)

Emergency evacuation plans have been prepared and installed throughout the building; please see attached copies of our evacuation plans that are installed throughout this building. The following information is intended to summarize the elements of the overall plan and procedures.

1. Emergency egress routes and procedures are shown in FEP's.
2. Procedures for accounting of employees are provided to key personnel via a memorandum prepared by the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities (AADF), a position currently held by John Krueger.
3. Identification and assignment of personnel responsibilities for rescue, security, or emergency medical aid is the responsibility of the Incident Commander at the scene, i.e., CUPD or Boulder Fire Department (BFD).
4. The primary means of emergency notification is the building fire alarm system with horn/strobes located throughout the building. In a “mass event” where many patrons are attending an athletic or other public event, providing public address announcements about the specific nature of and required behavior for a particular emergency situation is essential. There is a tendency for the public to disregard audible alarms if they do not know why they are sounding, often assuming that they are “just another false alarm.” The building's Public Address (PA) system should be used by the incident commander. Message structure and format is very important to give adequate and easily understood emergency response and required behavioral information about a particular situation.  (The incident commander may directly access the public address system microphone and/or may direct the person in charge of the PA system to announce a specific text on the PA system (note that it is important that the audience recognize that a person of public safety authority is giving them directions in order for them to respond appropriately). A sample text that is intended for this purpose is attached as Appendix-A.)
5. The primary means of reporting to the emergency responders is described here . The fire alarm system is activated upon the actuation of a manual pull station located near each exit, actuation of an automatic duct smoke detector located in the building HVAC system, or the actuation of the fire sprinkler system that protect a small portion of the building [FM1] . Upon actuation of the building fire alarm system, the alarm is automatically transferred to CUPD Dispatch and the Campus Service Center (CSC). CSC determines an actual fire alarm, and then initiates a phone call via ring-down line, which rings concurrently into CUPD communications and the Boulder Communications Center.  (UCPD Communications Technicians initiate the fire alarm into the system that then verifies the address and goes to the Boulder Fire Dispatcher. The alternative means of emergency reporting includes dialing 9-1-1. The employees are directed, via a memorandum by AADF, to dial 9-1-1 when they discover a fire or during other emergencies. This procedure, dialing 9-1-1, is also posted on all emergency evacuation plans throughout the building.)
6. AADF can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under plan. Also, during an emergency, the Campus “Umbrella Plan” will be activated involving the Campus Emergency Management Operations Group (EMOG). Please visit http://ehs.colorado.edu/embr/  for details of our “Umbrella Plan”.

Fire-Safety Plan

The elements of the fire-safety plan for this building is described below:

1. Emergency reporting system is as described under item A.5, above.
2. The life-safety strategy and procedures for notification, relocation, and evacuation of occupants is as stated under items A.1 through A.5, above.
3. A site plan that indicates fire hydrant locations and normal routes of emergency vehicle access is posted at each BFD fire station. A memorandum by AADF, to all employees and contracted vendors, establishes the location of outside assembly areas.
4. Floor plans that identify exits, primary exit routes, secondary exit routes, accessible egress routes, areas of refuge, manual pull stations, fire extinguishers, occupant hose stations, and fire alarm annunciators and controls is provided as described under item A.1, above.
5. A list of major fire hazards associated with the normal use of the building including housekeeping procedures is prepared by the building proctor and reviewed by AADF and the Campus Fire- and Life-Safety Group (FLS). The list is updated, semi-annually, by the building proctor. The level of fire hazard in this building is considered normal for the type of use and occupancy.
6. The fire system is maintained and tested by the Facilities Management (FM) Fire Systems Group (FSG) on a routine basis as required by the 1997 edition of the Uniform Fire Code (UFC).
7. Housekeeping and fire mitigation/prevention is assigned to the building proctor through a memorandum by AADF.
8. Identification and procedures for employees who must remain to operate critical equipment or functions, prior to evacuation, is as follows: In the event the ticket office is in operation when the fire alarm is activated, ticket sellers shall immediately close their cash boxes, place them on the floor under the counter, then immediately exit the building. The ticket office manager on duty will be responsible for locking the ticket vault and ensuring that no other employees are present as he/she exits the ticket office and the building.

Emergency Evacuation Drills

Please refer the following link for the procedure for conducting a fire drill for Assembly Occupancies.  This linked page includes duties for the drill administrator, staff, and links to applicable code requirements and further recommendations.

Employee Training and Response Procedures

1. Employees and contracted vendors are trained in fire emergency procedures as described in fire evacuation and fire-safety plans. This training is a part of new employee orientation with annual refreshers during the annual emergency drill.  A record of training is to be on file and a copy is to be sent to FLS. Training topics are to include fire prevention, evacuation, and fire-safety. The units hiring the employee, including contracted vendors, are responsible for scheduling the required fire-safety training through AADF.
2. Fire prevention training program includes fire hazard appraisal and good housekeeping practices that minimize fire hazards.
3. Fire evacuation training includes familiarization with fire alarm signals, their assigned duties during a fire emergency, areas of refuge and egress routes, exterior assembly areas, and evacuation procedures.
4. Fire safety training includes training on the use of portable fire extinguishers or other portable fire-fighting equipment.

In addition to the procedures listed above, the following link to Staff Duties provides an outline of the training procedures that prepare staff for emergency evacuation drills.  There are also links from this page to applicable code requirements and further recommendations for emergency evacuation response training and for conducting an emergency evacuation drill.

APPENDIX-A

The Typical Text of the Emergency Message that May Be Announced via the PA System

Please note that the bold sub-headings given below are explanatory and will not be read through the PA system.   Only the italic text will be read.

Authority identification:

(" May I have your attention please....this is Boulder Fire Department Battalion Chief XYZ..." )

Statement of the emergency:

Please listen carefully to the following instructions, and remain calm."    "The building fire alarms are sounding due to a   (state the emergency, e.g., a smoke report on the second level)...  

There is no immediate danger to you;...in the interests of your personal safety, the Fire Department is directing that each member of the audience leave the building in a calm and safe manner....  Again, please listen carefully to the following instructions, and remain calm."   

Behavior or response required of the public: 

  "... All members of the audience in the building are asked to stand and await further direction...It is very important that you keep children closely together with their parents at all times or carry them if necessary... now, please turn and face the nearest aisle to you.   "... Patrons in the first ten rows nearest the concourse level may now proceed toward the aisle and walk down and out onto the exits.  Patrons in all other seating areas should now walk calmly and carefully to the aisles nearest your seats, and then walk up the aisles to the nearest exit directly outside the building to a safe area away from the building.  Again walk calmly and carefully….”   

  Again, keep children together with parents.  You will be notified of any changes in the condition of the building or when you may return to the building after the problem is resolved….”

( Note that parts of this information may need to be repeated several times in response to the manner in which the audience is responding or moving so they are clear on instructions or if they are not responding to initial instructions ).