Benson Tower

In the event of a fire or other emergency, the safe and rapid evacuation of the affected area is the joint responsibility of the tenants in that area and the Building Management Team. It is imperative that each employee become familiar with the information and procedures described on the following pages. Please contact the Management Office if you have any questions about fire safety. Even if we cannot immediately answer your question - we will find your answer and respond quickly. Remember that it is each tenant’s responsibility to train all of its employees on all Emergency Procedures for the building.

Do not evacuate unless lives are in immediate danger or unless ordered to do so by the fire department, a representative of the building, or the floor wardens. Unnecessary evacuations will only cause confusion and block stairwells.

The building is fully sprinkled to inhibit the spread and minimize the effects of fire. In most instances when evacuation of an area is required, only the fire floor and one floor immediately above and one floor immediately below will need to be evacuated. In responding to a fire, the fire department will designate a floor for their Command Post. In order to ensure clear uninhibited entry for the fire department into the building and to the fire area, it is extremely important that all tenants evacuate in the precise manner and to the exact relocation meeting area designated by their written evacuation plan or the fire department.

The following evacuation procedures should be observed:

• REMAIN CALM
  
• Listen to and follow the instructions of the voice evacuation announcements and the directions of your Safety Warden.
  
• A Safety Warden and Deputy Warden should be designated to walk the suite to assist employees and make sure everyone is aware of the evacuation order.
  
• Once the evacuation has begun, no one should attempt to re-enter the evacuated area until it has been declared safe by the fire department officials or Building Management.
  
• Do NOT grab purses or bulky personal items as these become obstructions in the stairwell. You will be allowed back into the space after the fire department or Building Management determines it is safe to re-enter.
  
• The buddy system should be implemented for disabled persons confined to a wheel chair and unable to walk in any manner. See the last page of this section for information regarding evacuating the disabled.
  
• In case of fire, elevators will immediately be taken out of service and used by the fire department. The stairwell doors are rated for a minimum of two (2) hours protection time. Feel all doors and door knobs with the back of your hands before opening.
  
• If the door is hot to the touch, do not open it! Stay in your office and caulk around the door seams using wet towels or duct tape. Stuff clothing or material around ventilation ducts and cracks in doors to prevent smoke from penetrating area. Find another exit to the corridor.

• If both your door and doorknob are cold and you leave your office:
  
  • Check for smoke in the corridor.
  • When smoke is present, stay as close to the floor as possible by crawling since clean and cool air is closest to the floor. BREATHE NORMALLY. DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH.
  • DO NOT RUN! Everyone should proceed quickly, but calmly to the nearest stairwell.
    
  • Check stairwells for smoke. All the stairwells are constructed with fire-resistant materials to provide safe evacuation for building occupants. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS!
    
  • DO NOT PANIC! Panic is the most harmful and most difficult element to control in an emergency. Avoiding panic is accomplished through the following steps:
    
    1. Knowledge of procedures that must be followed.
       
    2. Confidence in the responsible personnel's ability and guidance.
       
    3. Calmness and self-confidence of responsible personnel
       

• The last person leaving any enclosed office area should close the office door, without locking it. This will help to confine any fire until the arrival of the fire department.
  
• If the corridor and/or stairwells are smoke filled, RETURN TO YOUR OFFICE.
  
• Form a single-file line at the stairwell exit door and proceed, calmly and carefully down the staircase to your designated relocation meeting area in the evacuation instructions. No one, however, should open any door without first checking to see if it is hot. If the door is hot, proceed to another floor.
  
• Once you are in the stairwell, should you encounter smoke on your descent, get out of the stairwell into any clear corridor and proceed to a different stairwell.
  

• Conversation should be kept to a minimum. Women should remove high heel shoes. Everyone should stay in a single-file line on the outside wall of the staircase. The inside rail (the shortest route) is for fire personnel. If people are using the stairwell to evacuate and begin to overrun you, move to the side or corner of the stairwell and wait until they pass. Once in the stairwell, you should evacuate to the designated area in an orderly manner. Take your time and move safely. Be sure to listen for instructions and follow them at all times.
  
• Evacuate to the relocation meeting area that each Safety Warden has designated per their written evacuation plan or the fire department. Your designated evacuation area must be outside of the building. Please move to areas across the street to insure you do not inhibit fire-fighting activities.
  
• Upon arrival at the relocation meeting area designated by each tenant’s written evacuation plan, everyone should remain there. No one should leave the area unless directed to do so by the fire department or Building Management.
  
• The Deputy Warden or Evacuation Facilitator should proceed to take a head count to determine if everyone is accounted for. If someone is missing, this information should be relayed to your Safety Warden (or to Benson Tower Security personnel if the emergency occurs after business hours). The Safety Warden is responsible for reporting the head count to the Building Management Team.
  

IF ALL ESCAPE ROUTES ARE BLOCKED

If evacuation of an area is not possible because fire or thick smoke blocks all escape routes, the following procedures should be observed:

• Move as far away from the fire as possible. If possible, select a room with an outside window. Close all doors as you go but do not lock them. Every closed door between you and the fire provides a barrier against smoke.
  
• Call 911. If you are unable to reach the fire department, then contact the Building Management Office and/or Benson Tower Security with your precise location.
  
• Stuff clothing or other material around ventilation ducts and cracks in the doors to prevent smoke-filled air from penetrating the area; if possible, WET THE ARTICLES.
  
• DO NOT BREAK WINDOWS. Under certain conditions, an open window may draw smoke into the area. If the glass has been broken, there will be no way to stop the smoke from entering the room.
  
• Follow the evacuation instructions precisely. DO NOT use the elevators unless otherwise instructed.

Evacuating the Disabled

It is the intent of the emergency evacuation program to ensure the safe removal of all individuals from the building. The Fire Marshall recognizes that some employees are in wheelchairs and cannot walk down the stairs. Those employees will be evacuated under the following conditions:

• Tenants not requiring assistance and that are not going to assist will evacuate first. This avoids the possibility of persons in need of assistance being bumped and falling down, thus slowing evacuation and/or causing injury. If there is evidence of fire, persons having mobility impairment should be positioned in an area of refuge located farthest away from the fire.  In Benson Tower, this would be the freight elevator lobbies on each floor. (Please note that the freight elevator lobby is different than the passenger elevator lobby and is located in a separate area of the building.)  If fire conditions begin to pose a personal threat, the buddies should enter into Stairwell A adjacent to the freight elevator lobbies with the mobility impaired and relocate two floors below the fire floor.  Move the disabled employee to the door of the nearest stairwell and wait until traffic from upper floors is clear before moving employee into the stairwell. 
  
• The Fire Marshall recommends that you use the Buddy System to notify emergency personnel in the lobby.
  
• Special Provisions: Where necessary, all responsible team members will identify those employees whose physical condition may require special or additional assistance. For example, the employment of a deaf person may require some visual signaling device, located on his desk or on the office wall, indicating that the general alarm sounded.