Assembly Areas (Map)
What – All library building employees should exit the building at the nearest safest emergency exit and proceed to their assigned evacuation assembly area. Employees should remain there until the “all clear” is given or the building has been closed. The dept. head, supervisor or designated staff should take a head count at the assembly area (a list with all current employees is helpful). Identify the names and last known locations of anyone not accounted for and pass them to the Building Manager (University Librarian or designee), who will inform emergency personnel. LEAD door monitors have two-way radios to communicated with each other (see map of door monitor locations).
Why – Protection of people is the first priority.
- Evacuation assembly areas allow departments/units to account for each other and easily share information about the emergency.
- The areas are located so they do not hinder emergency responders arriving at the scene.
- We are seeking consistency in expectations and rules for the entire University and assembly areas meet this expectation.
- A centralized leadership process helps protect its building and occupants. Evacuation of a building isn’t about individual work units, but about an individual building that is under duress and needs to be dealt with.
Where – The Valley Library has designated evacuation assembly area that are at least 50 feet away from the building and avoids crossing roadways used by emergency vehicles. A map designates these areas. Employees may need to walk around the building to reach their assigned evacuation assembly area. There are sufficient assembly areas to accommodate everyone and to be able to communicate efficiently.
When – Whenever the building is evacuated due to an emergency or drill
Who – All faculty, staff and student employees and guests/customers in the Valley Library building. The Building Manager is the centralized leader and responsible for actions of and within the building.
Questions
Q: Why use assembly areas instead of having people just gather in the areas that they exit the library?
A: We believe that getting accountability of staff and library tenants is the first and most important thing we can do. As such, having everyone’s department gather in one area will make it easier for department heads to gain accountability.
Q: Once we gain accountability, then what will we do?
A: Once the department head, supervisor or designated staff account for employees, they should report to the Building Manager (University Librarian or designee) at Assembly Area 1. If there are people missing, then the Building Manager would inform emergency responders that they might still be in the building.
Q: What should we do about patrons?
A: We can direct patrons towards the closest exit, but your first priority is to get clear of the building.
Q: How should we respond when first-responders arrive?
A: Give them enough space and a clear avenue to the building. If there is pertinent information that they need to know, then provide that to them, or to your supervisor so they can communicate it up.
Delivery Trucks
Question: Delivery trucks were trying to enter the loading dock area during the evacuation as well as other traffic. How should this traffic be handled?
Answer: Emergency personnel should direct traffic away from the building. Door monitors can let delivery trucks/vans know that the building has been evacuated and they will need to come back at another time.
Disabled Persons
Concern: Many were concerned with a staff member in a wheel chair on the 4th floor stairwell. She was there for around 25 minutes before someone outside saw her through a window and notified emergency personnel she was there, at which point they sent people to help her.
Answer: Disabled persons not on a floor with an outside exit should go to the nearest stairwell and wait there for emergency personnel to evacuate them. University policy can be found at http://ds.oregonstate.edu/home/evac.php. There is an emergency red phone on every floor of the building stairwells, so disabled persons are expected to pick up the phone and be directly linked to public safety if they have any concerns or safety issues. Public Safety can let the emergency response team know they are there. Disabled persons will not be evacuated if there is no actual danger in the building. Another alternative is to stay in an exterior room with a window as our sprinkler system will keep fires contained to the source.
Suggestion: Offer to volunteer for training in lifting and carrying disabled people out of the building. Can we organize & train a group of staff/faculty to do this?
Answer: Moving anyone unable to leave the building on their own should be left to the trained emergency response team. Staff/patrons could be hurt as well as the person being moved.
Door Monitors - /wiki/spaces/LEAD/pages/55217071
Question: Student assistants were used to monitor emergency exits — is this appropriate?
Answer: Due to limited staff at the Circulation desk, student assistants have been assigned duty as a door monitors, either at the east or west exits. The door monitor uses a megaphone to keep people at least 50 feet from the building and shares information with the other door monitors by 2-way radio or a courier. If the Information Desk is staffed, they are trained to make their way to the front of the building and check with the Circ staff to see if they need assistance with monitoring exits or taking over the megaphone so phone calls can be made.
Observation: Emergency personnel do not communicate with the door monitors to provide information on what is happening inside the building and if there will be delays on returning inside. Cannot answer questions for library patrons wanting to know when they can get back inside.
Answer: Priority is given to finding the problem and resolving it. After that emergency personnel will let door monitors know when it is safe to enter the building. Door monitors & Library Administrators should make themselves known to emergency personnel as a contact. During evenings and weekends primary staff members can take this role. Current procedures state a “white hat” fire dept. person makes the call to allow people back into the building — not true. A “white hat” may not be present so any emergency personnel can make the call or library administrator/evening-weekend staff that have communicated with emergency personnel.
Drills
Observation: Many people thought the evacuation was a drill and therefore not of immediate concern. One patron insisted on desk service before leaving the building.
Answer: All evacuations (whether a drill or not) are treated as an actual emergency. Everyone needs to leave the building as soon as possible. This includes stopping all public desk service as all people need to leave when the alarms sound. Security can be called if someone refuses to leave. You can give verbal reminders to leave the building on your way out but nothing beyond that. If there is actual danger in the building it will be swept by emergency personnel.
Exits
Observation: East exit - People coming up or down the east stairwell were heading for the main entrance instead of the emergency exit between floors 1 and 2. Do we need larger exit signage? Many people on upper floors went down to the 2nd floor main entrance instead of taking the side east or west exits on each floor.
Answer: All emergency exit doors have signage (exit signs from ceiling and on doors). Staff/faculty should be familiar with the exits in their area and in the building in general. The annual building evacuation drill in September is a good time to practice finding the nearest emergency exit. If there is something the safety committee can do to make evacuation exits more visible, pass along your suggestions.
Floor Monitors
Suggestion: We designate staff/faculty to check their department/units as they evacuate the building, possibly also taking a head count and sharing the information with emergency personnel.
Answer: The emergency response teams are responsible for making sure the building is cleared during an evacuation. Assembly Areas are used to account for department/unit employees. If you notice someone in the building who is having problems leaving the building (refuses to leave, disabled person, etc.) feel free to notify emergency personnel once you have evacuated the building. The goal, of course, is for everyone to leave as soon as possible.
Personal Items
Suggestion: We should remind people to take their purses, keys, cell phones, medicine, etc. with them as we do not know when the building will be allowed to be occupied again.
Answer: We cannot be responsible for personal items. If there is something you need to take with you nearby, take it as you evacuate the building, but do not go out of your way to do so. Items of value/necessity should be with you at all times in case of an evacuation.
Re-entering the Building
Concern: Some felt the fumes were still too strong when allowed to enter the building.
Answer: The emergency response team will decide when it is safe to re-enter the building. “Too strong” is not the same as unsafe to breathe.