Not prepared for Emergency? Checkout these Guidelines for Safety..

This article is a narration my learnings from the recent Emergency Response Team (ERT) Training. It has certainly set a solid base on Safety and prepared the folks to act wisely during emergency (most of the content applies to India only).

The Session covered Safety measures in general & with respect to Fire and Rescuing, Evacuating & Extinguishing techniques during emergency. Here is the summary from the ERT Training.

General Safety Guidelines:

·         Don’t use Cigarette Lighter, as the flammable gas used in Cigarette Lighters are as dangerous as LPG.  Can’t quit smoking? Quit cigarette lighters & switch to Match Boxes.

·         Wear Helmet when you ride a two-wheeler

·         Helmet can withstand the pressure of hurt only if you are speeding below 60kph. Avoid over speeding & follow traffic rules.

·         Always tie your seat belt and insist co-passenger to wear seat belt.

·         Don’t keep the Gas Lighter below the gas stove; might get wet / spoiled by any spillage during cooking. The delay in lighting or igniting the stove could cause fire accidents.

·         Clean the bottom of the Gas Stoves also on a weekly basis as the petroleum by product deposits could cause explosion or fire; Let the younger generation get inspired to follow you to have an accident free life.

·         Never use Kerosene as a disinfectant; There are plenty of floor cleaning liquids aka disinfectants in the market.

 

Emergency Numbers:

·         100 – Police

      ·         101 – Fire Brigade
      ·         102 – Ambulance
      ·         108 – National Emergency -> Call this number for any emergency and they will in-turn inform the above required emergency contacts.

In case of fire, you can call 101 (preferable) or 108 and provide the following information using a combination of Local Language + English (avoid high end American / British accent J)

1.       Contact Person

2.       Contact Number

                    3.       Address (where help required)
                    4.       Landmark
                    5.       Type of Emergency

           You can dial into the emergency number from landline, any mobile number irrespective of the service provider and from PCOs. These are toll free numbers and are not charged even in PCOs.

 

Guidelines during Emergency:

·         In case of emergency, do not panic and scare the people around.

·         Inform security personal / Admin to turn off the Power. As the power shutdown is the first step during emergency, never use Lifts or Elevators.

·         Inform the Fire Brigade (101) or National Emergency (108) and provide required details as stated above.

·         Press the fire alarm. In case if that does not work - Alert the people in your floor to saying “Emergency, go to Safe Assembly Area”.

·         Use the regular Stair case / Emergency Exit and go downwards only (as the fire has a tendency to go upwards and burn the floors above rather than below).  Even there is a fire in basement, go downwards only, heading towards the safe assembly area.

·         Don’t carry your belongings when you need to exit during emergency.

·         Walk briskly holding the rails of the Staircase. Don’t run causing stampedes.

·         Avoid photos & videos; This is not the time to exhibit your photography skills with your high-end smart phone cameras.

·         If there is smoke around, wet a cloth and tie it to your face covering the nose. The dampness in the cloth prevents smoke entering your nostrils. This is a life saver for Asthma patients too.

·         Order of Rescue at office:

o   Physically Challenged

o   Pregnant Women

o   Women

o   Men

·         Order of Rescue at home or high raised apartments:

o   Physically Challenged

o   Pregnant women

o   Elderly people

o   Children

o   Pet Animals

o   Women

o   Men

·         Types of Extinguishers

o   Dry Chemical Powder (can be used at all conditions)

o   Carbon di oxide -CO2 (can be used next to Dry Chemical Powder)- most widely used in Offices

o   Foam

o   Water

·         ERT Member or any one in general can look out every room in their vicinity to ensure that people are informed of emergency. Stick a post-it with a cross on it so that others need not waste their time in checking / evacuating that room again.

·         Are you heading to alert people in a conference call? Do not barge in & scare them as well as person on the other side of the call. Just knock the door and alert on “Emergency and ask them to assemble in safe assembly area.”

·         If there is any kind of emergency at office , kindly reach out to ERT team members ( Emergency response team contact details will be displayed shortly across all notice board at all floors)

      Thanks to Abhishek, Admin at GT Nexus for getting a an excellent trainer – Mr. Sharif, who was always to the point, conveying a message at all times with real life examples and most importantly sustained the interest of the participants throughout the 3 hours session with a good mix of theory as well as practical.