Evacuation teams are divided into two units:
- Sweepers are responsible for ensuring that everyone within their floor is safely evacuated and accounted for.
- Monitors make sure people do not re-enter buildings until safe to do so. They also assist with evacuation and act as communications liaisons with on-scene responders (police, firefighters, etc). and are equipped with two-way radios.
Responsibilities
Prior to an emergency:
- Be familiar with your building evacuation plan and the basic emergency procedures
- Know the alert signals (fire alarm and voice alarm)
- Know the evacuation routes for your building
- Know where your unit’s first aid kit is located
- Have an up-to-date list of work unit members on a clipboard that is easily accessible
- If you have a cell phone, save the Police Services emergency number in your contacts and have the phone readily available
- If you have a two-way radio, be familiar with how to use it and make sure it is charged at all times
- Know who to contact with additional information about your work unit
During an Emergency
- Determine if it is an evacuation situation
- Take vest, clipboard, radio, cell phone and flashlight
- Move quickly and safely to ensure everyone in your area is evacuating using designated routes
- Sweep your work area to ensure everyone has exited the building
- If possible, do a quick check-in with adjacent areas to ensure they have evacuated
- Assist any people having difficulty exiting without compromising your own safety
- Close doors when leaving
Once Outside
- Collect headcounts using your list. If someone is missing or injured, call 911, Evergreen Police Services or a monitor
- Keep track of work unit members
- Provide information and status updates to evacuees (if available)
- For those assigned as monitors, cover entrance area to keep people from re-entering the building.
After the Emergency
- Make sure the fire alarm is off or there is an "all clear message" from the Voice Alert or Police Services before allowing people to re-enter.
- If no message is forthcoming, contact onsite emergency responder or one of the monitors
- Once back inside, make sure everyone is accounted for and ok
- When things have settled, send the emergency response coordinator a short email with your feedback on the incident response