SECTION 404 FIRE SAFETY EVACUATION AND LOCKDOWN PLANS

Fire Evacuation Plans shall include the following

  1. Emergency egress or escape routes and whether evacuation of the building is to be complete by selected floors or areas only or with a defend-in-place response.
  2. Procedures for employees who must remain to operate critical equipment before evacuating. 
  3. Procedures for the use of elevators to evacuate the building where occupant evacuation elevators complying with Section 3008 of the International Building Code are provided. 
  4. Procedures for assisted rescue for persons unable to use the general means of egress unassisted. 
  5. Procedures for accounting for employees and occupants after evacuation has been completed. 
  6. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for rescue or emergency medical aid.
  7. The preferred and any alternative means of notifying occupants of a fire or emergency. 
  8. The preferred and any alternative means of reporting fires and other emergencies to the fire department or designated emergency response organization. 
  9. Identification and assignment of personnel who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan. 
  10. A description of the emergency voice/alarm communication system alert tone and preprogrammed voice messages, where provided. 
  11. Outdoor assembly areas shall be accessible by all occupants. Outdoor assembly areas shall be designated and shall be located a safe distance from the building being evacuated so as to avoid interference with fire department operations.

Fire Evacuation Plans shall include the following

  1. The procedure for reporting a fire or other emergency.
  2. The life safety strategy including the following:
    1. Procedures for notifying occupants, including areas with a private mode alarm system.
    2. Procedures for occupants under a defend-in-place response.
    3. Procedures for evacuating occupants, including those who need evacuation assistance.
  3. Site plans indicating the following:
    1. The occupancy assembly point.
    2. The locations of fire hydrants.
    3. The normal routes of fire department vehicle access.
  4. Floor plans identifying the locations of the following:
    1. Exits.
    2. Primary evacuation routes.
    3. Secondary evacuation routes.
    4. Accessible egress routes.
      1. Areas of refuge.
      2. Exterior areas for assisted rescue.
    5. Refuge areas associated with smoke barriers and horizontal exits. 
    6. Manual fire alarm boxes.
    7. Portable fire extinguishers.
    8. Hose valve/standpipe stations.
    9. Fire alarm annunciators and controls.
  5. A list of major fire hazards associated with the normal use and occupancy of the premises, including maintenance and housekeeping procedures.
  6. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance of systems and equipment installed to prevent or control fires.
  7. Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance, housekeeping and controlling fuel hazard sources.

Lockdown Plans shall include the following (only when requested)

  1. The plan shall include instructions for reporting an emergency that requires a lockdown.
  2. The plan shall include accountability procedures for staff to report the presence or absence of occupants.
  3. The plan shall include a prearranged signal for returning to normal activity.
  4. Communication and coordination. The plan shall include a means of two-way communication between a central location and each secured area.

Maintenance, Availability and Distribution of Plan

  1. Fire safety and evacuation plans shall be reviewed or updated annually or as necessitated by changes in staff assignments, occupancy or the physical arrangement of the building. (This is to be accomplished by the facility.)
  2. Fire safety and evacuation plans shall be available in the workplace for reference and review by employees, and copies shall be furnished to the fire code official for review upon request.
  3. The fire safety and evacuation plans shall be distributed to the tenants and building service employees by the owner or owner’s agent. Tenants shall distribute to their employees applicable parts of the fire safety plan affecting the employees’ actions in the event of a fire or other emergency.

 

SECTION 405 EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS

TABLE 405.2 – Fire and Evacuation Drill Frequency and Participation

Drill frequency

GROUP OR OCCUPANCY

FREQUENCY

PARTICIPATION

Group A

(Assemblies)

Quarterly

Employees

Group Bb

(Businesses)

Annually

All Occupants

Group Bb,c

(Ambulatory Care)

Annually

Employees

Group Bb

(Clinic, Outpatient)

Annually

Employees

Group E

(K-12 Schools/Daycare)

Monthlya

All occupants

Group F

(Factory/Industrial)

Annually

Employees

Group I-1

(Assisted Living, Group Homes, Rehab Centers, Halfway Houses, Residential Board and Care)

Semiannually on each shifta

All occupants

Group I-2

(Hospitals, Memory Care, Nursing Home, Psychiatric)

Quarterly on each shift

Employees

Group I-3

(Correctional, Detention, Jails, Prerelease, Prisons, Reformatories)

Quarterly on each shifta

Employees

Group I-4

(Adult/Child  Daycare)

Monthly on each shifta

All occupants

Group R-1

(Transient Hotels/Motels, Transient Boarding/Congregate Living)

Quarterly on each shift

Employees

Group R-2d

(Apartments, Non-transient Boarding/Congregate Living, Convents, Dorms, Fraternities/Sororities, Non-transient Hotels/Motels, Live/Work, Monasteries, Vacation Timeshares)

Four annually

All occupants

Group R-4 (5-16 persons)

(Assisted Living, Group Homes, Rehab Centers, Halfway Houses, Residential Board and Care)

Semi-annually on each shifta

All occupants

a. In severe climates, the fire code official shall have the authority to modify the emergency evacuation drill frequency.

b. Emergency evacuation drills are required in Group B buildings having an occupant load of 500 or more persons or more than 100 persons above or below the lowest level of exit discharge.

c. Emergency evacuation drills are required in ambulatory care facilities in accordance with Section 403.3.

d. Emergency evacuation drills in Group R-2 college and university buildings shall be in accordance with Section 403.10.2.1. Other Group R-2 occupancies shall be in accordance with Section 403.10.2.2.

 

Frequency: Required emergency evacuation drills shall be held at the intervals specified in Table 405.2 or more frequently where necessary to familiarize all occupants with the drill procedure.

Times: Drills shall be held at unexpected times and under varying conditions to simulate the unusual conditions that occur in case of fire.

Record Keeping: At a minimum the following information is required to be collected during fire drills per the International Fire Code:

  1. Identity of the person conducting the drill
  2. Date and time of the drill
  3. Notification method used
  4. Employees on duty and participating
  5. Number of occupants evacuated
  6. Special conditions simulated
  7. Problems encountered
  8. Weather conditions when occupants were evacuated
  9. Time required to accomplish complete evacuation

Initiation: Where a fire alarm system is provided, emergency evacuation drills shall be initiated by activating the fire alarm system.

Accountability: As building occupants arrive at the assembly point, efforts shall be made to determine if all occupants have been successfully evacuated or have been accounted for.

Recall and Reentry: An electrically or mechanically operated signal used to recall occupants after an evacuation shall be separate and distinct from the signal used to initiate the evacuation. The recall signal initiation means shall be manually operated and under the control of the person in charge of the premises or the official in charge of the incident. Persons shall not reenter the premises until authorized to do so by the official in charge.

Unplanned Evacuations: Evacuations made necessary by the unplanned activation of a fire alarm system or by any other emergency shall not be substituted for a required evacuation drill.