Evacuation

Created
November 2018
Last Updated
May 19, 2021

1. Introduction

In the case of a fire or a bomb threat, the affected buildings shall be evacuated immediately. For any other emergency that may require an evacuation, the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate will make the decision to stay in the building or evacuate.

Staff, volunteers, and participants are to follow the directions of the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate.

Staff, volunteers, and participants will evacuate in the following situations:

  • If there is evidence of smoke, fire, or fumes
  • If the fire alarm sounds
  • If the building is thought to be unsafe after an earthquake
  • If there is a threat of a tsunami
  • If there is a bomb threat
  • If utility failures pose a health or safety risk
  • If there is a threat of violence and evacuation will not increase this threat.
  • If directed to evacuate by a person in authority

2. Evacuation Procedure

  1. Upon notification of an evacuation order, staff will immediately gather participants and fellow staff members and proceed to the designated meeting area. Staff will assist participants and fellow staff members (if necessary) to evacuate the building and travel safely to the designated meeting area. If the primary designated meeting area is or becomes compromised or reaching it is unsafe, staff, volunteers, or participants must meet at the secondary designated meeting area.

  2. Elevators are not to be used in an evacuation. If individuals are unable to negotiate stairs and more than one staff member able to negotiate stairs is present, one staff person will stay with the stranded individual while the other staff person ensures the other participants get to the designated meeting area. Assistance will be sought out as soon as possible to help get the stranded individual safely down the stairs.

  3. Staff designated as primary first aid attendants will be responsible for evacuating any room(s) on campus designated for quarantine.

  4. The administrative assistant or their designate will be responsible for bringing hardcopies of participant, volunteer, and staff medical forms with emergency contact names and phone numbers so long as it is safe to do so. In addition to the records stored in hardcopy, the Unit-type maintains digital copies of all records, which can be accessed securely online. However, digital access cannot always be guaranteed in an emergency situation.

  5. Once at the designated meeting area, the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate will carry out a roll call to make sure all of  the staff members, volunteers, and participants are present.  If someone is missing, inform the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate immediately. Upon notification, the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate must inform the relevant emergency personnel (e.g. fire department or police) of a missing person and organize a ground search if it is safe to do so.

  6. If a full premises evacuation is needed, the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate  will instruct staff to do one or more of the following:
    A. load an organizational van with participants, volunteers and staff;
    B. evacuate the premises on foot; or.
    C. put participants in their own personal vehicles and leave the premises.

  7. Proceed to the rendezvous point.

  8. Once at the rendezvous point, staff will gather the participants and line  up for a role call, to be administered by the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate, to make sure everyone arrived safely, and await further instructions.  If any participants, volunteers, or staff members are missing, inform the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate immediately. Upon notification, the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program or their designate must inform any relevant emergency personnel (e.g. fire department or police) of a missing person where necessary and organize a search if it is safe to do so.

3. Evacuation Drills

Evacuation routes and emergency procedures will be practiced at the beginning of each Blind People in Charge (BPIC) term (Fall and Spring). In addition, an unannounced test will be carried out each term. The practices and unannounced tests will be documented by the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program, or their designate, using the Emergency Procedure Report form.

Evacuation routes and emergency procedures will be practiced at the beginning of each summer independence camp session. The practices will be documented by the Executive Director in charge of the relevant program, or their designate, using the Emergency Procedure Report form.

4. Review and Update

This document will be reviewed at least annually and changes made as needed.