Planning and practicing fire drills helps keep people safe. Depending on the building you run and what it’s used for, you may need to conduct fire drills annually, if not more often. During these drills, you’ll be tested on your ability to properly plan, execute, and document an emergency evacuation. The following instructions will help you properly prepare for any upcoming fire drills you need to practice.
Planning
Once you know when the drill is going to take place, the first step you need to take is to reach out to your local fire department and any community members involved in the building. Open communication here is essential for ensuring that everyone understands this will be a drill and not an actual emergency. After that, you need to make sure that everyone taking part in the drill is aware of the emergency procedures. This means knowing who’s in charge of the evacuation, how to exit the building, and where they go to wait outside of the building.
Execution
The actual fire drill should be done professionally, with everyone acting as if a real emergency were occurring. Fire drills aren’t a joke, and it’s essential that each person in the building takes part in the drill, and takes it seriously. To make the drill as accurate as possible, each person should leave the building and head to the designated wait area. It would also be helpful to block some exits to simulate an actual fire blocking potential exits.
Documentation
Each fire drill needs to be properly and accurately documented. The documents should always record the following information:
- The information of the person that carried out the fire drill
- The time and date of the drill
- How the participants were notified of the fire (the fire alarm, for example)
- Who all was on duty at the time and who the participants were
- The number of individuals that evacuated the building
- Any challenges encountered during the drill
- The weather conditions during the drill
- The amount of time required to complete the drill
Get Help Preparing for Fire Drills
West Coast Fire Protection is the leading provider of fire protection on the West Coast. Contact us or call us at (604) 467-0425. We also provide installation and maintenance services for any problems that need solving.