When did your hotel last hold a fire drill?
Having done that, you now need to put this into practice. I.e. have practice sessions so that every member of your staff knows exactly what has to be done in the event of a fire. A practice session or an emergency evacuation drill as it commonly referred to, is an exercise performed to train staff and to evaluate their efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out emergency evacuation procedures. It is also a test of the state-of-awareness and degree-of-preparedness of hotel guests (both resident and nonresident) to leave the property as swiftly as possible and to assemble at the designated ‘assembly point/s’.
Usually, the drill is carried out at least quarterly, i.e. a minimum four times in the year and needs to be conducted by employees on each shift so as to familiarise everyone with the drill procedure. Basically, these drills should be held at unexpected times and under varying conditions (daylight / non-daylight situations) to simulate the unpredictable conditions that can occur in case of fire.
Employee’s assigned fire-fighting duties should be aware of the locations and proper use of portable fire extinguishers or other manual fire-fighting equipment and the protective clothing or equipment required for its safe and proper use. Infact, some hotels make it mandatory that all members of staff receive basic training on how to use a fire extinguisher, which type of extinguisher to use for which type of fire and other basic fire containment and safety precautions. Many hotels now ensure that new employees receive training in the contents of fire safety and evacuation plans and their duties as part of new employee orientation.
Not all evacuation strategies are suitable for every type of building. This is particularly true for hotels, where the size and complexity often varies between premises. If your hotel accommodates a large number of guests, has multiple floors, and is complex in design, you need to sound an alarm and evacuate people in areas that are at immediate risk before others. So the floor where the fire is located (and those above it) would evacuate first, while you temporarily delay those below. You need to also ensure alarms are loud enough to wake sleeping guests: alarms near the bed head should be around 75dB. It is absolutely vital that guests wake up immediately during a fire. People inhale smoke while asleep without noticing, which is often fatal if they don’t wake up in time.
So, when was the last time your hotel conducted a fire drill? If you haven’t done one recently, now’s the time to do so. It is a good idea to hold practice drills as often as necessary to keep employees prepared. Include outside resources such as fire department when possible. After each drill, gather management and employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan and work to improve it.
Remember, in a real fire, there is a lot of heat, confusion, panic and smoke. These things all combine to help reduce one’s vision, impair clear thinking and cause bad judgment. Knowing where the exits of a building are may seem like an easy thing to do, but could your staff and hotel guests find their way there, blindfolded and crawling?
Ilzaf Keefahs
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Fire kills, and it usually takes victims of negligence and chaos. But if you apply sufficient fire safety measures in your hotel, you can prevent tragedy. One important fire safety measure is evacuating your guests and everyone else as quickly as possible away from the zone of fire. You need to consider how you will arrange the evacuation of the premises in the light of your risk assessment and the other fire precautions you have or intend to put in place. For that you need to draw up a Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan.