Make Fire Safety a High Priority

Because of the deadly danger of fire, it’s to your benefit to know what to do if a fire starts. You should be aware of certain procedures to protect yourself and others from injury during fires and other emergencies.

Your employer will conduct regular emergency drills so that you and your co-workers will know what to do and where to proceed during an emergency. You should be familiar with:
- How to report fires, hazardous chemical spills, and other emergencies.
- The route you are assigned to take during a building evacuation.
- Who to ask for more information.

Alarm Systems
Most companies use alarm systems to alert employees to evacuate an area or to take a specific action. You must be able to recognize these alarms. In areas where production noise could prevent an alarm from being heard, flashing lights are often installed as a second, visual alarm. These alarm systems can generally also operate from auxiliary power sources so that they can operate even when the power goes out.

Emergency Shutdown of Equipment
If time permits before evacuation, turn off any equipment you are operating, such as forklifts or conveyors.

Your employer may designate certain workers to shutdown critical facility systems, such as gas and electrical power, before evacuating the work area.

Evacuation
Your employer will develop emergency escape routes for the various locations in your facility. Floor plans or work-area maps clearly define emergency escape routes and are commonly used to convey this information.

Your employer will designate certain employees to take a head count of all workers after evacuation and to inform emergency responders of any missing personnel.

When a Fire Starts. . . .
When a fire starts, think only of your safety and the safety of others.
When a fire is out of control, you don’t know what is burning, or you have not been trained to use extinguishers, sound the fire alarm, then call for emergency help from a safe place.

Be aware of smoke and noxious fumes. These fumes enter the lungs and leave persons unconscious and at the mercy of the smoke and flames. They are already unconscious or dead before flames reach them.

Any fire in the workplace has the potential to cause serious personal or property damage. When chemicals are involved, the possibilities for destruction are greatly multiplied. Fire in the workplace is serious business.

Do your part to make your workplace fire-proof.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency