POLICY FOR REPORTING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

• All emergencies will be reported as soon as possible to 911, the organization’s Incident Commander, or an Incident Command Team (ICT) member by one of the following means:
  • Verbally, as soon as possible during normal work hours; or,
  • By telephone, if after normal work hours or on weekends.

(NOTE: To eliminate confusion and the possibility of false alarms, some organizations only allow an ICT member, or a designated substitute, to contact the appropriate community emergency response personnel. Each organization should decide if this is the appropriate procedure for them. Many organizations prefer to have the person who discovers an emergency contact 911 directly to save time. They rely on constant training to reduce the chance of false alarms.)

Policies dealing with specific emergencies

Fires:

• Under no circumstances should an employee attempt to fight a fire that has passed the stage where it can be put out with a fire extinguisher.
• Employees should not attempt to extinguish an electrical fire unless specifically trained to do so, and only if they have access to appropriate fire-fighting equipment.
• Check with your local fire department for training and other information on managing fires.

Violent Confrontations:

• If a violent situation develops in the workplace, first determine if weapons are present. If they are, call 911 immediately and avoid confrontation with any of the parties.
• If safe to approach the individuals involved in the dispute, attempt to separate them, and notify management.
• If you are threatened at any point by one or more of the parties, withdraw and contact 911 and management.

Evacuating a Work Area:

• If told to evacuate a building or move to a shelter-in-place location, Floor Wardens should verify that everyone has left the work area.
• The Floor Warden should attempt to assist anyone requiring help if they have been specially trained to do so. Examples of this special training include helping evacuate someone in a wheelchair or someone trapped by rubble.
• If you see anyone in distress or needing assistance leaving the work area, report this information to the nearest member of the Incident Command Team, Floor Warden, or other emergency response personnel.

Search and Rescue:

• Only employees who have been trained to lead a search-and-rescue effort should do so.
• If asked to assist in a search-and-rescue effort by a member of the Incident Command Team, employees should follow directions closely and work in teams
• No employee should attempt to enter a burning or physically damaged building to conduct a search-and-rescue effort. These actions shall be left to emergency professionals who have the necessary training, equipment, and experience to conduct such an operation. Untrained individuals may endanger themselves and those they are trying to rescue. Our organization does not endorse attempting any search-and-rescue efforts under these conditions.

Heart Attacks and Other Injuries:

• If an employee becomes aware of someone in physical distress, they should immediately call 911.
• If trained to provide first aid, they should do so while calling for help.
• If not trained in first aid, they should stay with the injured party and call for help.

 NOTE: For information on First Aid training, visit www.redcross.ca or www.redcross.org

Policy on CommunicAtion ABOUT EmergencIES

To Employees:

• In the event of a fire or other emergency, the Incident Commander, or designee(s), will make every effort to contact all employees as soon as possible.
• The Incident Command Team Member should use all available means to communicate with employees, visitors, and others in the immediate area. Examples include the building alarm system, non-ambiguous audible and visual alarms, and voice commands.
• If a fire or other emergency occurs after normal business hours, the Incident Commander, or designee(s), will contact all employees not on shift, and advise them of the status of future work.

To the Public and Other Stakeholders:

• The Incident Commander, or designee(s), shall contact the designated public relations resource as soon as possible if any type of media coverage (broadcast, Internet, print, etc.) of the situation is expected.
• The Incident Commander, or designee(s), shall contact the main office as soon as possible with verified information on employee injuries and/or loss of life, property damages, theft, or substantial losses.
• No information should be released without the permission of the Incident Commander, or designee(s), who will try to swiftly contact the media and begin to actively manage the situation.

Policy on Evacuation Procedures

When an alarm sounds, take the following actions:

• Do not stop for valuables, to get a coat, or to turn off lights.
• Close doors and windows.
• Do not lock your door.
• Alert others around you to leave.
• Look for the Floor Warden and follow their directions.
• Assist anyone who might need assistance in evacuating if it does not put you at risk.
• When evacuating, walk, do not run, and keep to the right of the hallways.
• Leave the building, even if the alarm stops while you are on your way out.
• Once outside, move away from the building and proceed to the designated assembly location.
• Position yourself so as not to block firefighters or their equipment.
• In bad weather, go to the sheltered designated assembly location.
• Look for those who work with you to ensure everyone has evacuated. If anyone appears to be missing, immediately notify a member of the Incident Command Team.
• Give any information about the fire or persons who might still be in the building to your Incident Command Team, the Fire Department, or Law Enforcement personnel.
• Do not re-enter the building for any reason until told to do so by the Incident Commander or their designee(s).

Policy on Establishing Evacuation Routes

• Emergency evacuation routes should be posted in several locations throughout the facility including all exit points. This information should be presented graphically and in writing. Consideration should be given to the placement of this information to make it as accessible as possible in the event of a power outage or if smoke begins filling the facility.
• If an evacuation order is given, all employees should immediately proceed to the nearest exit.
• Employees with offices should close their doors but leave them unlocked as they exit the area.
• During all emergency response training exercises dealing with evacuations, employees should be reminded to consult the posted evacuation route instructions located at all exit points.
• Once out of the building, employees should move quickly to the designated assembly area(s). They should not go to their cars or leave the area until released by a member of the Incident Command Team.

Policy on Accounting for Employees/Visitors after Evacuation

• Once an evacuation has occurred, the Incident Commander, or designee(s), should account for each employee/visitor at the designated assembly area.
• Each employee is responsible for reporting to their appropriate supervisor at the assembly site so that an accurate count can be made.
• All employee counts shall then be reported to the Incident Commander as soon as possible.
• Employees should refrain from speaking to people who do not work for the organization or members of the media. Inquiries should be directed to the Incident Command Team’s representative for media relations.

NOTE: It is a good idea for members of the Incident Command Team to take media management training so that they can effectively handle inquiries.

Policy on Emergency Contact Information

• The Incident Commander, or designee(s), shall maintain a list of all employees’ personal emergency contact information and shall always keep the list handy to allow for easy access in the event of an emergency.

Policy on Sheltering in Place

If the facility is threatened by severe weather, chemicals or other hazardous contaminants are released into the immediate area, or if there is a violent altercation, a shelter-in-place order may be issued using all means possible. In this event, the following steps should be taken:

• The Incident Commander, or designee(s), will immediately close the business and notify the authorities via 911.
• If there are customers/clients, or other visitors in the building, they shall be advised to stay in the building for their safety and follow the instructions of the Floor Wardens or Incident Command Team members.
• Floor Wardens will make every effort to communicate the presence and names of people in the shelter-in-place assembly area and provide information about anyone left in the general work area.
• If there are other tenants in the building, the Incident Command Team will try to notify these organizations of the threat.
• Unless there is an imminent threat, employees, customers, clients, and visitors will be reminded by an Incident Command Team Member at the assembly point to call their emergency contacts and let them know where they are and are safe.
• All questions, especially those arising from the media will be directed to the Incident Command Team.
• The Incident Command Team will ensure that the call-forwarding or alternative telephone answering systems or services are turned on and that the recorded message is appropriately updated.
• The Incident Command Team or their designee(s) will quickly lock exterior doors and close windows, air vents, and fireplace dampers. If practical, all air exchange points will be sealed off using materials such as tape and plastic sheets.
• The Incident Command Team or their designee(s) will turn off, seal, or disable all fans, heating, and air conditioning systems, especially those systems that automatically provide for the exchange of inside air with outside air.
• The Incident Command Team or their designee(s) shall gather essential emergency supplies (i.e., battery-powered radios, first-aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, etc.) and distribute them to the shelter-in-place assembly point within the building.
• All employees, customers, and visitors shall move immediately to the shelter-in-place location(s) within the building.
• The Incident Commander, or designee(s), will record the names of the people present. This information will be provided to the pre-arranged emergency contact outside of the building. This person in turn will provide this information to the authorities.
• The Incident Command Team or their designee(s) will monitor telephone, radio, television, and Internet reports for further instructions from authorities to determine when it is safe to leave the building.

Policy on Issuing the Re-entry or “All Clear” Signal

• Once the facility has been evacuated, no one should attempt to re-enter the building for any reason, except for designated and properly trained rescue personnel (such as fire department or emergency medical professionals). Untrained individuals may endanger themselves and/or those they are trying to rescue.
• All employees shall remain at the designated assembly area until the fire department or other emergency response agency notifies the Incident Commander that either:

• • The building is safe for re-entry, in which case personnel shall return to their workstations; or,
  • The building/assembly area is not safe, in which case personnel shall be instructed by the Incident Commander, or designee(s), on how/when to vacate the premises.