Hello,
Thank you for participating in the libraries annual evacuation drill. Jim Patton, the OSU Fire Prevention Officer, joined us to review the evacuation. Library Safety Committee members monitored the drill as well. Following is a summary of what we learned this year.
Before the drill Jim Patton, the OSU Fire Prevention Officer, quizzed employees in the library on basic fire procedures. We did not do well. So, everyone should commit to memory these 3 things if you see fire or smoke in the building:
1. Pull the fire alarm (know where the alarm pulls are – at each exit and the ends of the avenues near the stairwells)
2. Call 911 (let emergency responders know what you know esp. the location of the fire or smoke)
3. Evacuate and go to your assembly area (only use a fire extinguisher if fire is blocking you from your exit)
Jim felt that overall the evacuation went well. The building was evacuated in 5 minutes and he was surprised by the number of people in the building. I reminded him we usually do this during fall intersession. This year it was during fall term. He would have liked to see the building evacuated in 3 minutes but did consider the size of the building and the number of people.
People coming down the stairwells naturally progressed toward the main exit instead of through the emergency exits on the first floor. Jim noted that we do not have much control over egress so as long as they leave the building we are good.
We reminded Jim that we do not have floor monitors to clear each floor. Staffing varies throughout each day as we are open 24/5. We leave it up to emergency responders to make sure the building is clear.
Some staff had problems finding their assembly area. Please learn where your assembly area is located and when you go there you should find someone you know. There will be library patrons in the assembly areas as well but you should still be able to congregate as a department or unit.
When exiting through the east or west side emergency exits, it is safe to walk north on the pathways next to the building to your assembly area. Jim feels the building has more than adequate fire protection (sprinklers, fire doors) and any fire would be localized. Now in an event like a major earthquake it is impossible to say what the building condition would be but people should naturally be moving away from the building due to aftershocks and a possible unsafe building.
Remember to check out our evacuation and fire procedures, assembly area map, and other safety information at Library Safety Essentials on the library Wiki. If you have anything else to share about the evacuation please do, we would like to hear from you.
Thank you – Valley Safety Committee