Part IV: Evacuation

Preparing an evacuation

The success of an evacuation depends on the behaviour of those present in the building.

1. People’s behaviour during an evacuation

Phases of the escape process:

  1. Awareness phase: the incident is discovered because danger signals are observed and recognised
    • Major factor obstructing ‘task commitment’: many incidents show that, when unexpected events occur, people first of all want to go on with what they are doing and are difficult to persuade that they have to stop.
  1. Assessment and decision-making phase: the danger signals are interpreted and weighed up
    • Multiple signals are often required to assess the danger effectively
    • Behaviour of the people around them also plays a crucial role in their decision to leave the scene of the incident or not
    • People who are alone tend to act more quickly and more effectively in the event of an incident than if other people are present
    • We live in a country with a high level of safety, so that fortunately most people do not often find themselves confronted with emergencies, so we heave limited experience 
    • An alarm is usually not associated with the need to evacuate quickly
    • Signals that usually lead to action are those that cause pain
    • People prove more likely to act if the seriousness of the situation is made clear to them verbally and they are given clear instructions about what to do
  1. Implementation phase: those present in the building leave the premises and the ERT supervises the evacuation
    • People usually use routes they are familiar with to escape from building
    • The layout of the building can be so complex that people have difficulties finding the right escape route
    • If an emergency stairwell is not used on a daily basis, it is often used as a storage space
    • Incident evaluations show that there can be a big difference between theory and practive

The behaviour of EROs proves to be largely influenced by the same factors that influence the behaviour of staff, visitors and other people present in a building. Social norms have a very strong influence and can also be a problem for EROs, making it difficult for them to switch from their role as a member of staff to that of ERO. 

2. Deciding to evacuate a building

Reasons for evacuating a building:

  • Fire
  • Flooding
  • Incident involving hazardous substances
  • Bomb alert
  • Threat from outside (such as a gas cloud escaping form a nearby company)

The aim of an evacuation is to ensure that everyone can leave the premises safely in an effective and efficient manner. 

Employers must specify who takes the decision to evacuate the premises. In a small company this might be delegated to the ERO. In larger organisations, the decision will be taken by an ERT team leader or the head or coordinator of the ERT. 

When the moment arrives that a building has to be evacuated, it is important that everyone knows what they have to do. As an ERO you are the one who checks the building and supervises the people leaving the building. Whether the evacuation goes well therefore depends on you and your fellow EROs. 

3. Agreements on the procedures for evacuation

Under health and safety at work legislation, every employer must draw up procedures for evacuation, which describe exactly what must happen in the event of an evacuation. Agreements on how to evacuate the premises must be specified in writing. The evacuation plan is part of the emergency response plan. 

Organisations have a statutory obligation to inform and instruct their staff about what to do if incidents occur. The way in which the evacuation proceeds depends on the specific situation in the organisation. 

Most evacuation plans cover the following points:

  • The possible reasons for an evacuation
  • How staff should be informed and instructed
  • Who orders an evacuation
  • How EROs can be alerted
  • How staff can leave their workstation safe
  • Whether personal belongings may be taken
  • Who checks whether everyone has left
  • Who records whether everyone is present at the assembly point
  • The arrangements for evacuating each department / floor
  • Who might be required to remain behind to perform a specific task
  • Where people from each department / floor should assemble
  • How people’s belongings will be secured

The expected behaviour of those present in the building should be given priority in drafting an evacuation plan.

Agreements have to be made on how to assist people requiring assistance and for whom the employer is responsible during an evacuation. A close colleague can be assigned to assist a person who is unable to leave the building under their own steam, or no one or more EROs can be given special responsibility for this. 

EROs can assist visitors during an evacuation. 

4. Facilities and equipment to ensure that an evacuation proceeds safely

The possibility of leaving a building quickly and safely depends not only on the behaviour of the people in the building and the level of training of the ERT, but also on the building itself. 

The law imposes requirements on the construction and facilities of building to increase fire safety. 

Technical facilities that can help to ensure that an evacuation proceeds safely:

  • Fire alarm system
    • Hand-operated alarm
    • Automatic alarm
  • Evacuation alarm system
    • Slow-whoop signal
    • With a spoken message (has a better effect)
  • Megaphone and public-address systems
  • Escape routes
  • Emergency exits (must always be able to be opened without using any special equipment)
  • Walls with a degree of fire-resistance (a fire-resistant partition wall can contain a fire for 30 to 60 minutes)
  • Fire-resistant self-closing doors
  • Escape maps 
  • Emergency lighting 
    • General emergency lighting: used to enable people throughout the building to find their way out in the event of a power failure
    • Illuminated signs: are used to indicate the escape route, the exits and the emergency exits. They should always be on whenever there are people in the building.
    • Step or ramp lighting: ensures that stairs and ramps remain illuminated in the event of a power failure.
    • Night (emergency) lighting: used to light the passageways in the building between sunset and sunrise
  • Smoke and heat exhaust systems (ensure that smoke and heat are removed via the roof)
  • Assembly point (location where staff members and visitors can assemble after an evacuation)
  • Fireman’s safe (the safe holds a key to the building, the key to open the safe is held by the fire service)

To allow the rescue operation to take place quickly, agreements have to be made about where the fire service should be received by the ERT and given more information about the situation. 

No lifts must on no account be used in the event of a fire in that part of the building. There is one exception: the fire service lift, which is equipped to be used in the event of a fire. The fire service lift can be made available to fire officers with one simple operation. The fire service lift is intended only for the fire service and not for the emergency response team.