Office Fire Evacuation Request

[Louise M]

I hope someone can help; I have a bit of a strange request.

I'm putting together a fire evacuation plan for my office.  Everyone in the office uses a laptop rather than a desktop PC, the idea being that for business continuity purposes, if we cannot get into the office at any time we would be able to work elsewhere.

We have always told people not to stop to pick up any personal belongings in the event of a fire evacuation.  However in a recent test of the Business Continuity Plan it was highlighted that in the event of a fire evactuation, people would inevitably leave their laptops at their desk.  If we were unable to return to the office, no one would be able to continue working.

I've been asked to find out if we would be breaking the law by telling people that if they can quickly and easily do so, to take their laptops with them.  Can anyone let me know if this would be the case, or if we would be irresponsible by asking people to do this.  It would simply be a matter of pulling out the cable at the back, but at the same time I do not want people to feel they have to go back for a laptop when their first priority should be to leave the building.

[Mike Buckley]

There is no legal requirement for people to evacuate the building however obviously the best practice is get everybody out. The legal requirements refer to providing adequate means of escape etc. The guide states (3.4.3 escape times) "in the event of a fire, it is important to evacute people as quickly as possible from the premises".

Also look at 4.1 Record the significant findings where it includes "the actions people need to take in case of fire.......(your emergency plan)".

So carry out your risk assessment, from the findings write your emergency plan and then train everyone as to what they should do.



What you must do is the Fire Risk Assessment and under it consider the risks involved and institute a planned procedure and train your staff in that procedure.

[jokar]

In a normal office environment you would have 2 1/2 mins to reach a place of relative or ultimate safety.  Therefore, dependent on what your FRA states you may or may not be able to pick up and take a laptop with you.  UNdertake a review of the FRA, do some training with people picking up the laptops and see whether it is a suitable system.  If the laptops are locked in to a workstation then additional time will be needed to unlock them and therefoire it may be unwise to have this as a policy/procedure.

[PhilB]

Where did 2.5 minutes come from!!!!!!!! You must make sure people are out before escape routes are compromised. There is a legal requirement to evacuate if employees are going to be placed at serious risk if they don't evacuate.

Having said all that it may be entirely reasonable for persons to take take laptops with them if it is safe to do so..subject to the risk assessment identifying that this is safe practice. Consider banks & department stores...do all employees evacuate immediately without securing tills etc., of course not. Reasonable in the circumstances of the case...that's the answer.

[wee brian]

Oh no --- I agree with Phil!

I guess you should make sure that the laptops are set op so it is easy to move them quickly. My one has a docking station that alows me to simply pick it up.

If you had to crawl under the desk to unplug it then that may not be a good idea.

[Louise M]

Thanks for your comments.

We tend to leave our battery packs and network cables plugged into the mains, so we can quickly plug in and out to the desks.  So it would only be a matter of yanking the cables out of the back of the machine.

Some people do have docking stations but I have checked with our IT support and have been told that although it won't necessarily like being undocked quickly, just pressing the 'eject' button and picking up the laptop will not harm it in any way.

I think if people are at their desks when the fire alarm sounds then it shouldn't be a problem, but I will undertake a risk assessment before I update my procedure.

[kurnal]

Its an interesting thought - hundreds of people carrying their open laptops to the exits and down the stairs, closing down the applications as they go,  all tripping  over and bumping into each other!

Taking Louise's example into another arena its a similar dilemma in a supermarket or shop in giving advice to the till attendants on what to do when the fire alarm sounds. For example - cancel the current  transaction immediately, complete the current transaction if you can within a set time, cancel the transaction  immediately if there are signs of fire or smoke? It also arises in some factories where processes cannot be shut down immediately.

Where there is a safety implication in shutting down quickly it is a simple decision - balance the risk from fire against the risk to safety from shutting things down too quickly.
The duty of care is as far as is reasonably practicable- so it is quite legitimate to consider business continuity as a factor to weigh against the risk from fire. But the risk of the loss of business continuity must heavily outweigh the potential risk from fire if it is to be relied on in court  as a defence.

[PhilB]

Oh no --- I agree with Phil!.

Great minds Wee Brian, Great Minds xx

[wee brian]

Several supermarkets allow customers to take thier, unpaid for, baskets with them whne the store is evacuated. They find this is the only way you can get them to leave.

Most laptops will put up with being unplugged and closed immediately without any problem. Perhaps Louise should include this in the procedure.

[kurnal]

I have also often wondered about a dentist in the middle of pulling a tooth....

[wee brian]

I think the key to something like that is to remember these practicalities when considering your risk assessment.

I once had a guy present me with an "engineered sollution" for a small hospital. They had done away with a lot of the passive protection by providing an L1 detection system.

Not much use if you can't get out of bed!

[Chris Houston]

Can anyone let me know if this would be the case, or if we would be irresponsible by asking people to do this.

I think it could be irresponsible.  If you managed to get by before evereyone had laptops, then you should manage to get by without delaying evacuation.  I think that at the time of evacuation some people may be far from their laptops and returning to collect them could cause problems, I think some people will panic, carrying things will make evacuation more difficult and where would this end? Should someone collect some essential files, someone else the telephone directory, your business continuity would be much more difficult if there was serious injury or loss of life, essential data can be backed up off site, facilities to have IT available in the event of a disaster are available, I think you should consider these options instead and in a fire concentrate on protecting your most valuable assets, your staff.

[Ashley Wood]

I agree with Chris. Have you considered having all your lap tops and PC's linked to a main server and having this server located in a fire and heat proof enclosure? There are companies that make these and they protect your server as well as the data. The idea being that if there is need to evacuate the building, all data is streamed down to the server. Try http://www.securesafe.co.uk they stock Lampertz server safes but there are others such as Rosengrens.

As I recall, these units come complete with air conditioning and there own fire extinguishing and smoke detection system. I believe they cost more than a few hundred pounds..... but you have to way this up along with the risk associated with having your staff hang around to remove lap tops.

Can you advise us whether your fire alarm system in manual only or does it have full smoke detection? This should influence your decision about delays in evacuation. If there is no smoke detection and the alarm is activated once someone 'finds' a fire, then time is of the essence and your staff should leave immediately. Also, is your admin. building attached to a warehouse or factory and if it is what is being stored or made? This would have an effect as well on fire size and smoke propagation, etc.

Another solution is to look at your fire alarm system. You give no indication as to the size of your building, but would your fire alarm system enable you to give a staged evacuation. What this does is operate the sounders in the fire effected zone on a constant tone indicating to anyone within that area to 'get out now.' In other areas the sounders operate on an intermittent basis indicating to staff in these areas to 'standby to get out.' At this time your staff could unplug, pack up and make ready to leave the building. There is more to this type of system than this but in essence that's the concept.

It's all down to the age old equation 'life verses cost verses business interruption'

[PhilB]

If you managed to get by before evereyone had laptops, then you should manage to get by without delaying evacuation.  I think that at the time of evacuation some people may be far from their laptops and returning to collect them could cause problems, I think some people will panic, carrying things will make evacuation more difficult and where would this end?

and Ashley recommends heat-proof enclosures or upgrading fire alarm!! Come on chaps what about risk appropriate solutions. It may be entirely reasonable to take laptops if situation is adequately managed. Chris what evidence do you have for assuming people will panic....read work by Canter or Sime.

[Chris Houston]

If you managed to get by before evereyone had laptops, then you should manage to get by without delaying evacuation.  I think that at the time of evacuation some people may be far from their laptops and returning to collect them could cause problems, I think some people will panic, carrying things will make evacuation more difficult and where would this end?

and Ashley recommends heat-proof enclosures or upgrading fire alarm!! Come on chaps what about risk appropriate solutions. It may be entirely reasonable to take laptops if situation is adequately managed. Chris what evidence do you have for assuming people will panic....read work by Canter or Sime.

I admit, I have no knowledge of Canter or Sime.

My hypothesis is that some people, when asked to unplug IT equipment and then escape from a fire, may feel under a lot of stress and could subsequently panic.  I feel reasonably confident that this is a real and significant risk.  Would you disagree?