FireFactor presents: AXP SelfAssessment Safety Tool

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FireFactor presentsAXP Self-Assessment Safety
Tool

• Created by Brian Brauer
• Program Director, Illinois Fire Service Institute

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• Go around your house or residence-
• Self-Assess your building
• How safe is it? How safe are you?
• Are you prepared for the unimaginable?

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Does your residence have

• Smoke Detectors?
• Heat, Pnuematic, or ROR (Rate-of-Rise) Detectors?
• Internal Notification Systems (alarms, sirens,
  strobes, vocal instruction)?
• Fire Extinguishers?
• Installed Systems (sprinklers, foam, ANSUL)

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How often is the previous inspected?

• Is there a monthly visual inspection by residence
  leaders?
• Is biannual battery Replacement conducted?
• Is annual cleaning and service conducted by
  professionals?
• Are smoke detectors replaced every 5 years?

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• How often do professionals inspect all the
  previous?
• How often are the previous tested?
• Are all of these actions documented?

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Do you have

• Are there two ways out of EVERY sleeping room and
  assembly area?
• Are there posted evacuation routes?
• How many doors are there to the primary and
  secondary exits?
• How many steps are there?
• How many crawls?

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Do you have

• Simple Fire Drills twice a year (early in the
  semester)?
• Advanced Fire Drills annually?
• Fire Drills should be unannounced to occupants,
  but the Fire Dept., 911, and/or the alarm company
  should be aware of drills.

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• How do your brothers or neighbors respond to the
  fire alarm(s)?
• How often does your fire alarm activate?

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How do you educate your residence about

• What can/cannot be brought into the building?
• What can/cannot be stored in the building?
• What can/cannot be done in the building?
• What happens to violators? Whats done to rectify
  the situation?

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• What high risk activities are conducted in the
  house/building?

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What precautions are taken for

• Smoking
• In common areas?
• In brothers areas?
• In rooms?
• Outside?

• Candles?
• Incense?
• Hot Plates?
• In Room Cooking?
• Alcohol?

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How does your building mitigate dangerous items?

• Dangerous items such as
• Space Heaters
• Halogen Lamps
• Flammable Liquids
• Liquefied Gases
• Fire Places
• Charcoal Grills
• Ashes/Coals

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Does the building practice

• Extinguishing fires in the kitchen?
• Operating fire extinguishers?
• Determining when a fire is too big for an
  extinguisher?
• Closing doors behind them?
• What to do if they find themselves trapped in a
  room?
• Are records kept for each of these sessions?

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Self Assess these common spots in the house
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Doors and Doorways

• Are they kept clear?
• Do the self-closers work?
• Are the self-closers being allowed to operate?
• Are there positive latching mechanisms?
• Is there a single motion on the egress doors?

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Stairwells

• Are they isolated from other parts of the house?
• Is it rated for fire stopping?
• Are there fire doors installed?
• Stairs should exit to the outside of the house
• There should be NO storage in or below the stairs
• Are the handrails tight and safe?
• Are the boards of the stairs secure?

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Other paths of egress

• Are they kept clear?
• Are the doors along the way able to be opened
  with a single motion?
• Is there appropriate lighting?
• Is there emergency lighting?
• Are there pull stations on the way out?
• Are exit routes marked down low?
• Is there a Plan B? Does everyone know Plan B?

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General Maintenance

• Are the floors and walls clear of combustibles?
• Are window wells kept clear?
• No combustibles should be stored around the
  exterior.
• Trash cans/dumpsters should be at least 20 feet
  from the building.

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Electrical

• Are all the fuses and breakers appropriate for
  their load?
• Are they labeled for quick ID at the panel?
• Do any trip on a regular basis?
• Are the causes of tripped breakers/blown fuses
  identified and corrected?
• How many amps are the rooms rated for?
• How many amps are being drawn per room?

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• How many extension cords/six packs are in use?
• Are there breakers on them?
• Are they under 6 ft in length?
• Are heavy duty cords being used for air
  conditioners, washer/dryers?
• Are grounding plugs used? Are the outlets in the
  building grounded?
• Are the outlets covered and properly anchored?
• Are there trip hazards from the cords?
• Are electric blankets left off during the day and
  when not in use?

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Kitchen

• Are your hood/ANSUL systems compatible with your
  extinguishers?
• Carbon dioxide wont work on deep fryers.
• Dry chemical extinguishers are not compatible
  with all foam systems.
• Check ducts, filters, and fans monthly for grease
  buildup.
• Dont forget where the vents exhaust.

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Boiler Rooms/Furnace Rooms

• Are they in a fire resistant enclosure?
• Is there a self-closing/self-latching door?
• Is it free of all combustible and flammable
  debris?
• Where are the ABC Extinguisher(s) located?
• Inside?
• Immediately adjacent?

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Fireplaces

• Are they inspected annually?
• Does the flue work correctly?
• Is there a screen that seats securely?
• It should NOT be used for garbage disposal.
• You should burn only the appropriate wood in the
  fireplace.
• Also not the best place to dispose of Christmas
  trees due to the Klauser Effect

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Chemical Storage

• Any flammable or combustible liquid of one pint
  of more should be stored outside the house or in
  a secure steel locker.
• Paints, solvents, and oily rags should be inside
  metal containers or lockers.

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How long can each of the following be out of
service?

• Fire Extinguishers?
• Single smoke detectors?
• Single sprinkler heads?
• The entire fire suppression/alarm system?
• Is your housing board notified of the above out
  of service?
• Whose job is it to refill/arrange for repairs?

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Building Security

• How easy can a non-resident (including boyfriends
  and girlfriends) enter your building during the
  semester?
• During breaks?
• During weekends?
• Is there exterior lighting over all ground-level
  entries?

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Party Safety

• Take refuse out that night immediately following
  the party.
• Dump ashtrays into an exterior metal container
  lined with sand or water
• Do not dump in the trash!
• Check all common areas or accessible areas for
  unescorted guests and smoldering materials.
• Do not cover pull stations, detectors, or
  sprinklers.
• Post and enforce the occupancy limit for rooms.

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Phones

• Are emergency numbers posted at every house and
  room phone?
• Take time at meetings to go over emergency
  numbers, where they are posted, and programming
  them into cell phones.
• Have an emergency notification tree.

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How will you get this information out?

• Invite a speaker from the fire department or fire
  prevention bureau to a weekly meeting.
• Designate an undergrad fire marshal to assist
  the risk manager in this area.
• Have administration/boards support the risk
  manager or the fire mashals activities.
• Require reporting back to you about safety items
  on a specific interval.

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If the fire alarm sounds
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• Move as soon as the alarm goes off!
• Get out of bed, wake others in the same room
  immediately.
• Dress quickly
• Grab cell phone and keys if nearby.

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Before opening a door

• Check the knob with the BACK of the hand.
• Check door with the BACK of the hand.
• Check the door edges for heat or smoke.
• Listen to the hallway.

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If there are signs of fire in the hallway

• Have a small plastic container in each room with
  the following
• Duct tape and rags to tape to the edges of the
  door to help keep smoke out.
• White sheets to hang from the exterior window to
  signal the fire department.
• Unlock your door.
• Only open windows if no smoke enters the room.
• Remove blinds et al to facilitate mounting a
  ladder.

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• If you encounter smoke after opening the door,
  shut it immediately.
• You cant chance that it will get better on the
  way out.

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If there are no signs of fire in the hallway

• Close, but do NOT lock the door behind you.
• Take your cell phone and keys with you.
• Stay low, Stay right.

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Stairwells

• Check doors before entering.
• Go down stairs feet first, on your behind.
• Check doors before exiting.
• If first floor is impassible, consider going to
  the basement and escaping through an egress
  window or door.

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Meeting Place

• Have a meeting place set at a place across the
  street or parking lot.
• Make sure
• It is away from where firefighters are going to
  be working.
• That one member is designated to communicate with
  the fire department.
• The Risk manager/fire marshal have a house plan
  and master keys available for fire dept.
• There are removable in/out boards by the entryway
  to provide a means to account for residents.
• NO ONE EVER GOES BACK IN!

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For more information, you can contact

• Alice Kinkelaar, Urbana Fire Rescue
• [phone]/ amkinkelaar_at_ci.urbana.il.us
• Janet Maupin, Champaign Fire Department
• [phone]/ Janet.Maupin_at_ci.champaign.il.us
• Brian Brauer, Illinois Fire Service Institute
• [phone]/ brbrauer_at_uiuc.edu
• Clay Baier, City of Urbana Housing Inspector
• [phone]/ crbaier_at_city.urbana.il.us
• Michael Lambert, City of Champaign Property
  Maintenance Inspector
• [phone]/ Michael.Lambert_at_ci.champaign.il.
  us