Fire drills: What safety and security experts should know

Post date: Jul 21, 2021 7:54:25 PM

Drills are conducted in buildings to prepare residents and tenants for evacuation during emergencies such as earthquakes or fires. In many cases, it's the safety and security experts employed by the property owners who take care of this.

According to Capt. Martin Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, it's important for everyone's safety that all personnel experience a building's exit schematics. It's also imperative that building management should do everything to make fire drills more effective. Here are some ways to do so. 1. Everyone should attend. Any person who doesn't know where to go or what to do during an actual fire can potentially endanger not only themselves but others as well. This is why fire drills are always mandatory. Even people in the highest positions of offices should not be exempted from the activity. 2. There should be security officers.

In a commercial building, companies should have security officers to oversee the participation of everyone on the floor or area. These security officers may also be assigned tools such as survival bags or fire extinguishers. They should also have a master list of personnel on the floor. Security officers can make fire drills more organized and invaluable when the real thing happens, says Martin Lloyd Sanders.

3. Know the exit routes. People should be as familiar with the exit routes as the exit itself. Building management and any safety and security officers should do everything to make exit routes as visible and accessible as possible by removing obstructions or anything that might be in the way. And in the event of a power outage, the route should be as visible as possible. Martin Lloyd Sanders agrees with many safety and security experts that every minute after five minutes during a building fire equals a hundred people who don't make it out. This is why fire drills have to be taken incredibly seriously. Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, is an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and has rendered over 10 years of service in occupational safety and health. Subscribe to this blog for similar articles.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States Government.