7.9 Fire Evacuation Procedure

Emergency Evacuation (Fire) practices must be conducted twice per year in all areas of The University and recorded on Fire Practice Record sheet by Area Safety Managers. The times of such practices should be at the discretion of the above, but such that they alert the maximum number of people who use the buildings. The initial practice in all teaching and residential accommodation areas should be held within the first few weeks of the start of every new academic year.

The Following Facts Are To Assist / Inform Staff About Emergency Evacuation Procedures

  1. To arrange a Fire Practice, the Property Services Office should be contacted. They will arrange for the alarms to be put "off-line" for the duration of the practice and also provide a member of the maintenance staff to operate the alarm system
  2. Before embarking on a practice, the Area Safety Manager in-charge of the practice must ensure that his/her Fire Wardens and Fire Marshals are available to clear through their own areas of the building - top downwards - during the practice and to ensure that all areas have been vacated
  3. All escape routes are marked with Green Signs with White symbols of a man running into a space. An arrow shows the direction of travel for safe escape
  4. Fire Wardens must have a check-list of all personnel based in their area of responsibility. At the Assembly Point all names on this list must be accounted for, before giving a 'Situation Report' to the Area Safety Manager supervising the practice. Any person unaccounted for, must be highlighted to the Area Safety Manager at this time
  5. Teaching staff must appreciate that it is important that it is their responsibility to evacuate their students when teaching and respond as a Fire Marshall as in (2) above for their student group
  6. Once the Area Safety Manager has received assurance from their Fire Wardens and/or tutors that all personnel have been accounted for, he / she will then either:-
    • In the event of a real incident or a false alarm, report the situation with regard to personnel to the Senior Fire Officer immediately upon the arrival of the Fire Brigade. Give the number and probable location of any unaccounted personnel
    • Once the incident is under control, the Senior Fire Officer and only the Senior Fire Officer, will decide if the building is safe and authorise that it is safe for personnel to re-enter.When it is safe to re enter the building a Fire Warden will sound one single extended blast on the whistle - this is the signal that it is safe to renter the building. You should not re enter the buildings until you have been given the signal to do so. In the event of a real fire, this signal will come from the Senior Fire Officer in attendance.
    • Where the evacuation is a practice, the Area Safety Manager will give a debriefing to all evacuees as to the efficiency of the practice, before they disperse.
    • An unsatisfactory practice should be repeated within two weeks.
  7. All staff and students are supplied during their Health and Safety induction programmes with guidance as to Fire Evacuation. Diagrams of Fire Evacuation routes are also posted on the doors of every hostel room to assist occupants during and emergency. The University sets personal safety as having priority over property;
  8. Area Safety Managers should ensure that all their staff are familiar with evacuation procedures and the position of all Fire Emergency Exit Routes and their associated Fire Assembly Points in all areas within which they operate;
  9. It is important that arrangements for the safe evacuation of people with any form of disability/handicap which is likely to hinder their evacuation are known and understood. This includes people temporarily incapacitated by such things as a broken leg;
  10. All teaching staff must draw the attention of all new students to the procedures in (3) and (5.2) above;
  11. At least one of the bi-annual Fire Practices should be conducted with all Main Exits blocked off during the practice; this is to alert personnel to the use of Alternative (Fire) Emergency Escape Routes.
  12. Buildings must be evacuated within a maximum of two and a half minutes; if this target is not met, another practice should be organised within two weeks.

Revised September 2011