Evacuation Procedures

If it is necessary to evacuate a building due to a fire or other type of emergency, all employees must stop what they are doing and proceed as follows:

1. Secure classified materials as required and only if the situation so allows.
2. If you must go through a closed door in order to exit, feel the door before opening it.
   1. If the door feels cool, open cautiously. Be braced to slam it shut if the hall is full of smoke or if you feel heat pressure against the door. If the hall is clear, proceed.
   2. If the door is hot or smoke is seeping in, DO NOT OPEN.
      1. Call the Fire Department at 911 and Transwestern Property Management Office at (630) 505-7900 to notify them of your location if you cannot evacuate from your location.
      2. Place wet towels, clothing, etc. around the door.
      3. Cover heating and A/C vents (if possible) with towels or clothing.
      4. Place a wet towel or cloth over your mouth and nose. Stay low, below the smoke.
      5. Do not break out the windows unless it is a last resort. (If may allow smoke into your room)
3. When evacuating an office, close all doors; but leave them unlocked, walk; don’t run, to the nearest stairwell. Unless otherwise instructed, your destination will be street level. If you are exiting a stairwell and it becomes impassable, you should go to the closest floor to reach another stairwell and continue down. When reaching street level, proceed to your organizations outside DESIGNATED ASSEMBLY AREA.
4. If you are in an elevator when the alarm sounds, remain calm. The elevator will automatically go to the first floor and open. Elevators from that point are available to emergency personnel only. Proceed to your organizations outside DESIGNATED ASSEMBLY AREA.
5. Your organization’s outside DESIGNATED ASSEMBLY AREA is where all personnel should meet and be accounted for. This area is clearly marked by color posts at the outside perimeter of the building parking lot.
   
   1st Floor Tenants = Yellow post color
   2nd Floor Tenants = Red post color
   3rd Floor Tenants = Orange post color
   4th Floor Tenants = White post color
   5th Floor Tenants = Gray post color
   
   This location does not interfere with Fire, Police or other emergency personnel or equipment. Smoking during a drill or an evacuation is absolutely prohibited.
6. Each visually impaired and physically disabled/non-ambulatory person must be assigned a “buddy” to assist them during an emergency. Each handicapped person must complete the Handicapped Employee form (Appendix 6) and return it to Transwestern’s Property Management Office via email.
   
   The Naperville Fire Department recommends these procedures for handicap evacuation. They recommend use of a wheelchair, which should be placed in a visible and accessible area of the employee’s workstation. The employee’s buddies would assist him/her to an “area of refuge”. The “area of refuge” is located in every stairwell of the building. It is the landing area between floors. Once the handicap individual is in the “area of refuge”, the buddy then directs the emergency aid to the exact location of the handicap employee. The emergency aid would communicate with the handicap individual and make a decision as to whether they will:
   1. Leave the handicap individual in the “area of refuge”
   2. Evacuate the handicap individual through the stairwell
   3. Evacuate the handicap individual through the elevator
   • The following scenarios will determine which procedure the emergency aid will enforce:
   • Leave handicap individual in the “area of refuge”
     • ​​​This would be if the fire department has pre-determined that the alarm is false.​​​​​​
   • Evacuate the handicap individual through the stairwell
     • This would be if the alarm is “real”, if there is smoke or flames.
   • Evacuate handicap individual through the elevators
     • This would be if the fire department has pre-determined that the alarm is false and there is a controlled situation.
   • It is important that the “buddy” or “buddies” remain with the person until the emergency is over.
7. Safety/Evacuation Monitor(s) are the key to the successful evacuation of a building. There should be as many Safety Evacuation Monitors as you feel are needed to ensure a safe and speedy evacuation of the building. Their duties are spelled out on page 8.
8. Searchers report to the Safety/Evacuation Monitor(s) and are appointed by them. They will:
   1. Search restrooms and offices for personnel.
   2. Order evacuation of personnel unaware of the emergency.
   3. Assist personnel who are disabled or injured if their buddies are unavailable.
9. Floors should be evacuated in the following order:
   1. All personnel except those with evacuation responsibilities.
   2. Searchers, after determining that no one is in the lavatories, storerooms, or other auxiliary rooms.
   3. Safety/Evacuation Monitor(s), after ascertaining that no one remains by checking with searchers and personally checking the general areas.
   4. Switchboard Operations, unless danger exists, in which case they will evacuate immediately.
   5. Building Engineers.

DURING AN EMERGENCY REMAIN CALM
WALK, DO NOT RUN, TO EXITS