Evacuation time
Dears,
Question on evacuation time during firr drill .. i see some recommendations sets ideal evacuation time around 2.5 - 3 minutes maximum..
What is the mandate on that? I need details and references on evacuation time.. and what is best practices regarding that too?
Much appreciated.
Comments (8)
There is no "standard" evacuation time because there are a lot of factors that go into it, such as the number of occupants, size of facility, facility layout, critical process operations that need to be shut down before evacuating, etc.
With that being said, 2-3 minutes would be an excellent time to evacuate in most cases, but it may not be realistic. It may be closer to 4-6 minutes.
When doing drills, I recommend the following to get an accurate evaluation of what would occur during a real scenario:
- Make the drill unannounced to everyone except those who are facilitating the drill. You want to catch them off guard link a real fire would.
- If you want to get the BEST evaluation, do the drill during "less than ideal" weather conditions. If you do it during cold weather or light rain, you'll be able to judge who stops to get their jackets, purse, use the restroom, etc. During a real scenario, they shouldn't be doing these things.
- Do a post-drill discussion to talk about what went well and what needs to be improved. Make sure everyone heard the alarm, evacuation wardens did their jobs, and identify any other areas for improvement.
We have a 21 story residential high rise...Even 6 minutes would be a win for us.
Like Drew said, it all depends on your facility, what fire protection systems are in place, and what your hazards are. If you're in a fully sprinklered office building your acceptable evac time is going to be different than if you're in an old wooden fireworks manufacturing plant.
I just did my fire drill the other week, for about 200 employees, they were all at our rally points in just over 4 minutes, this included a group of employees who went out the back of the warehouse (closest exit) and had to walk all the way around the building to the trailer yard rally points. We had attendance/roll call completed at the 8 minute mark, all employees accounted for. I was happy with the times since it had been only the second drill in the past 4 years (I’m their first true safety person, trying to get them back into compliance).