Employee Safety Coordinators Program

Safety Coordinators Program

Safety Coordinators provide a critical link between building occupants and safety personnel during an emergency. They attend required on-site safety training twice a year to prepare them to perform the following emergency and non-emergency duties: 

  • Know the physical layout of their own and adjacent floors
  • Know the location of the nearest stairway and alternate stairwell exits, and the direct routes to each
  • Know the location and condition of the nearest fire extinguishers and how to operate them
  • Know emergency telephone numbers and procedures
  • Instruct co-workers in various emergency roles
  • Recruit and train members of the Emergency Response Team
  • Give new employees a copy of the Emergency Procedures manual
  • Know how to assume control, maintain calm, and prevent panic in the event of an emergency
  • Communicate information to building occupants during and after an emergency
  • Prepare and practice an earthquake, fire and emergency evacuation/relocation plan for their physical area
  • Know the names and work locations of building occupants who may have physical difficulty when evacuating the building, and assign a fellow employee to assist those individuals during an emergency to the stairwell Area of Refuge; advise the Life Safety Director of their location
  • Advise the Life Safety Director of adverse floor conditions
  • Maintain a store of emergency equipment and provisions, including a flashlight and spare batteries, battery-operated radio, and food and water for three days
  • Serve as a point of contact during routine times for any floor-related safety questions or concerns, including safety information such as fire extinguisher and exit locations

There are at least three safety coordinators on each floor who are responsible for a specific physical area and are charged with recruiting fellow employees for special assignments to manage an emergency. A list of Safety Coordinators is posted in the printer/copy room areas of each floor.

Evacuation and Relocation Procedures

It is imperative to practice building evacuation plans before an emergency occurs. In the event a fire alarm identifies an emergency situation within the building or floor that requires evacuation, please follow the following procedures:

  1. Remain calm and orderly. Walk quickly but do not run. Follow the instructions of your Safety Coordinators.
  2. Safety Coordinators and their designees will perform the following task. The Safety Coordinator and the Building Engineer share the responsibility of training the below safety designees:
    1. Safety Coordinators and Assistants:  Move building occupants to the closest stairwell. Coordinate efforts of all Emergency Response Team (ERT) members and ensure complete evacuation including remaining ERT members.  Note:  One Safety Coordinator from each floor must check in with Security or Building Services staff in the building lobby as the evacuation process begins.
    2. Elevator Lobby Monitor: Stand by the elevators and redirect people to the stairwells.
    3. Searchers: Search the floor to make sure everyone is out. Check all enclosed spaces such as bathrooms, storage closets and kitchens.
    4. Assistance for Those with Disabilities: Help any person needing assistance to move to the nearest stairwell Area of Refuge. If the individual is able to exit via the stairway, wait for the stairway to clear and then proceed down. If the individual is unable to leave via the stairway, stay with the individual in the Area of Refuge, and send another person down to the front entrance to inform Security or the Fire Department of the situation. A firefighter will assist in evacuating the individual using the stair chairs located in the stairwell Areas of Refuge on all floors.
    5. Stairwell Monitor: Assume a position at the stairwell door to instruct occupants to walk quietly in a single file line down the stairs and to fully evacuate the building. Caution occupants to remain on the right side of the stairwell, watch out for opening doors, and stay out of the way of Fire Department personnel.
  3. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS. Evacuate the building using the emergency stairwells only. Go to the designated relocation assembly area and check in with your Safety Coordinator. Find information on assembly areas by campus below.
    1. Broadway-Franklin Campus: At the open grassy area at 12th Street and Broadway, behind Wells Fargo.
    2. Washington, D.C.: The Multipurpose Room on the 1st  Floor of the building. For fire evacuation, the assembly point is 16th St. between Rhode Island Ave. and M St. The off-site evacuation site is The School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens 2425 N. St. NW.
    3. Riverside: Rear parking lot at designated spots on the perimeter of the property.
    4. Sacramento: Across the street opposite side away from building
  4. Immediately report to Security or the Fire Department the location and condition of any individuals who could not be evacuated/relocated. 
  5. Stand by for further instructions.