The actions taken in the first minutes of an emergency are critical. Without an emergency action plan, chaos can occur that could result in injury or death. It is important to have a plan in place telling employees what to do in an emergency. The emergency action plan should be written and placed throughout the facility.
Here we are going to discuss what should be included in your plan:
- The procedures for reporting emergencies such as pulling a manual fire alarm, dialing 911 or an internal emergency number.
- Describe what kind of an alarm system will be used to notify all personnel (including disabled employees) to evacuate and/or take other actions. Different actions should have distinctive alarms – sirens, horn blasts or public address systems.
- When to evacuate, procedures and escape routes so employees understand who is authorized to order an evacuation, what conditions make an evacuation necessary, how to evacuate and what routes to use to exit. It can describe actions employees should take while leaving such as shutting windows, turning off equipment and closing doors behind them.
- Procedures for employees required to operate fire extinguishers or shut down gas and/or electrical systems and other special equipment that could create additional hazards to emergency responders if left operating before evacuating.
- A list of key personnel who should be contacted during off-hour emergencies.
- Information on how employees will be informed and trained on the contents of the plan.
- The names and numbers of the person to contact for additional information or clarification of some aspect of the plan.
This plan is only as good as it is designed to be. Using experts in the field makes a big difference between a well-designed plan and a poorly designed plan. Contact Fire Control Systems to help you develop the best possible emergency action plan.
