UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 8, Page 8
October 20, 1994
Safety Corner

     Proper management of emergency situations such as fires, chemical
spills or injuries can help to minimize damage and disruption.
     When an emergency situation arises requiring building evacuation,
the main emphasis is the safety of people, followed by resolution of
the incident. For this reason, the initial response by individuals
should be to orally notify others in the immediate area and pull the
building alarm while evacuating.
     Evacuation should be to a safe area at least 200 feet from the
building to allow for the arrival of emergency responders. Once
outside the building, Public Safety should be called-by using a red
phone or dialing 831-2222-to ensure they received the alarm and have
dispatched an officer.
     When Public Safety staff respond, they will establish a command
post-a vehicle with a flashing green light.
     Individuals with information should respond to the command post
so details can be provided to fire department personnel and/or
Department of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) staff.
     Administrators or building managers also will be able to assist
or obtain status reports at the command post.
     In the case of a small, simple fire of known origin, an
individual may be able to extinguish it completely without risking
injury to him or herself or others. Please note that the words small,
simple and known origin must be emphasized. Only persons with training
and/or experience in using extinguishers should do so and only after
notifying others of the fire.
     If there is no smoke production and the fire is completely out,
the individual must call Public Safety, at 831-2222, or use a red
phone to report the fire, rather than evacuating the entire building
and summoning the fire department. The individual must remain on the
scene until Public Safety arrives.
     Either Public Safety or Occupational Health and Safety
representatives will determine if the fire department needs to respond
and will handle the notification to the city fire marshal as required
by state law. Persons should always pull the alarm and evacuate the
building if there is any doubt about the safety of the situation.
     The Department of Occupational Health and Safety urges the Campus
community to review University Policy 7-6 and plan a fire drill for
buildings through your departmental safety committee, or by contacting
the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at 831-8475.