OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation Flashcards
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
Main 4 Actions
- Determine evacuation status and strategy
- Conducting partial evacuations
- Conducting full evacuations
- Maintain tenability of stairwells
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
Determine Evacuation Status and Strategy
Liaise with Building Representative and/or wardens to establish if an emergency evacuation plan exists
- Ensure any existing emergency plan is working effectively
- Determine an appropriate evacuation strategy where no emergency plan is in place, or if the existing plan is ineffective. The evacuation strategy may involve one of the following:
* Full evacuation: Complete evacuation of all occupants in the building
* Partial evacuation/shelter in place: Evacuation of the fire affected areas only, while advising other occupants to ‘shelter in place.’
- Consider a full evacuation when any of the following situations are observed:
* Internal breach of compartmentation
* External fire on building with known combustible cladding
* Any external fire spread beyond two floors
* Failure of installed sprinkler or hydrant system
* Uncontrolled self-evacuation of large numbers of people
* Insufficient resources available to mount an effective attack on the fire
Determine the number of occupants, their location and whether any occupants are mobility impaired
Appoint an Evacuation Sector Commander to oversee determined evacuation strategy
- Ensure the Evacuation Sector Commander is positioned in the FCR or at the EWIS in the building, and overseeing the implementation of the evacuation plan.
Nominate a suitable location for an evacuation assembly point where it isn’t nominated in the emergency plan for the building. A suitable location should be designated outside of the established safety cordon, considering the welfare of evacuees.
- Ensure the following when nominating an assembly point:
* Consider the number of evacuees, the time of day and outside weather conditions
* Ensure the assembly point is a sufficient distance from any falling debris
* Ensure the assembly point does not interfere with operations or access, for oncoming appliances
Ensure any reports of occupants that are not accounted for are reported to the relevant Sector Commander
Respond VicPol and AV to assist with resources required to maintain welfare of evacuees
Liaise with MERC if rehousing or prolonged evacuation is required
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
When should you consider a full evacuation strategy?
Consider a full evacuation when any of the following situations are observed:
* Internal breach of compartmentation
* External fire on building with known combustible cladding
* Any external fire spread beyond two floors
* Failure of installed sprinkler or hydrant system
* Uncontrolled self-evacuation of large numbers of people
* Insufficient resources available to mount an effective attack on the fire
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
What to consider if nominating an assembly point?
- Ensure the following when nominating an assembly point:
- Consider the number of evacuees, the time of day and outside weather conditions
- Ensure the assembly point is a sufficient distance from any falling debris
- Ensure the assembly point does not interfere with operations or access, for oncoming appliances
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
Conducting Partial Evacuations
Adopt a partial evacuation strategy where it has been determined that a full evacuation will not be required.
Take manual control of the EWIS and give clear instructions to the occupants, including:
- The problem
- The location of the problem
- Actions to take
Conduct an initial evacuation of the fire floor and two floors above and one floor below the fire floor
Determine if any additional evacuations are required based on a SPADRA of current and predicted fire conditions
Consider the use of any safe refuge areas within the building
- Deploy an evacuations team where safe refuges areas are being utilised to provide assistance and reassurance to the evacuees, and monitor tenability of refuge area.
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
Conducting Full Evacuations
Respond additional resources to manage the full evacuation where available
- Consider responding an appliance and personnel with air monitoring capability to monito evacuation routes
Consider adopting onsite emergency evacuation plan if in place, and utilise any onsite wardens to assist
- Leave the EWIS in automatic and allow for the pre-programmed cascade to alert occupants
Take manual control of the EWIS where no emergency plan is in place, or where the plan is ineffective. Provide clear instructions to the occupants, including:
- The problem
- The location of the problem
- Actions to take
Conduct the evacuation in a phased manner to avoid overcrowding in the evacuation stairways. Prioritise the fire floor and floors above the fire, then those below the fire until the evacuation of the building is completed.
Avoid using the fire attack stairwell for evacuating occupants where multiple stairwells are available
- Deploy crews in fire attack stairwell above the fire to direct evacuees into designated evacuation stairwell
Appoint a Stairwell Safety Officer and evacuation teams to assist with evacuation and monitor the tenability of the stairwells. Minimise smoke penetrating into the stairwells.
Consider the following options where stairwell pressurisation is not present, or where it is ineffective:
- Utilise PPV fans to assist, ensuring atmospheric monitoring is used in conjunction with petrol driven PPV fans
- Open roof access doors in the stairwell to channel smoke out of the building
Consider adopting a shelter in place strategy for mobility impaired occupants until arrangements have been made to assist with their evacuation
- Liaise with Lobby Sector Commander where shelter in place is not an option, to use the lifts to evacuate mobility impaired occupants.
Utilise crews to conduct door knocking on floors being evacuated to attempt to confirm the floor has been evacuated
OMS 022 - High Rise - Evacuation
Maintain Tenability of Stairwells
Ensure the Stairway Safety Officer oversees the evacuation operations inside the building and is positioned at the Operations Point
Ensure evacuation teams work in pairs and utilise full structural PPC, personal radio and atmospheric monitoring equipment, forcible entry equipment, TIC and don BA. Crews are not required to be ‘on air’ unless conditions deteriorate.
Monitor stairwells from top to bottm, and ensure evacuation teams provide regular reports to the Stairwell Safety Officer regarding the following:
* Progress of the evacuation
* Temperature inside the stairwells
* Presence of smoke inside the stairwells
* Levels of fire gases (e.g. Carbon Monoxide)
Allocate an evacuation team for every 2 to 5 floors above the highest floor of fire depending on floor area and occupancy, and considering the evacuation strategy determined, resources available and the size of the building.
