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EVACUATION DRILL A well-managed building should strive to perform an evacuation drill annually. Practice drills will include escape routes and emergency plans. You may discover that you need to increase floor wardens or block captains. As an emergency plan is developed, enlist the assistance of your local emergency management service or fire department. The fire department should be contacted and requested to assist in the evaluation of the drill. Record the practice drill for evaluation, following up on any items identified as needing improvements. Well-trained staff and occupants are priceless during an emergency situation. A site plan or floor plan is an essential tool in identifying the location of fire pumps, backup generators, shut-off valves, utility information and fire extinguishers. Make sure that the plan includes areas for special needs occupants, smoke barrier doors, escape routes and a list of responsibilities for staff and volunteers, specific evacuation information per floor, and the location of stairwells and elevators. EVALUATE YOUR DRILL Did the staff, volunteers and responders know the building layout? Did floor wardens, staff and volunteers act quickly and properly? Were the occupants familiar with escape routes, meeting areas, evacuation methods? Did all applicable alarms sound? What problems occurred? Were emergency responders and the fire department quickly notified? Were communications with each floor effectively executed? Were special needs occupants aware of actions to take or how to evacuate? Was there an adequate counting system for occupants? Were all exits utilized? Total number of homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina was 353,000 making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. StatisticBrain.com / CNN.com DID YOU KNOW?... 10

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