Rank: Super forum user 
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I have the opportunity to have sole access to a room 30m x 30m, located in a remote building on the estate for 12 months.
Our business is healthcare and practical evacuation exercises are a nightmare to carry out. The idea behind the room is to use it to provide practical fire training, eg smoke machines and evacuation under pressure with obstacles along a designated route to make it more difficult ehilst evacuating persons etc. I just wondered if anyone had any positive ideas / input that could be implemented or they have used to make the exercises a positive event.
Thanks
SBH
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Rank: New forum user
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Hi SBH,
Don't have elaborate obstacles. You want to make it as close to the the real workplace layout as possible if you can't actually practice in the workplace.
Do you have total or progressive (phased) evacuation that you can practice? And do staff evacuate this way or all just run for it? Do you have high risk areas? Storage, dead ends, vehicles and equipment etc? Practice the procedures that are in place. Who does what? Who will raise alarm if not automatic? who will evacuate certain areas? Who will contact emergency services? First aiders? Location of fire fighting equipment? Fire marshall duties and can they tackle fire before it gets too big (if trained)? Evacuating people who are injured, disabled, down stairs? Do you have staff with PEEPS? Assembly points and roll call. Information sheets (MSDS, hazards and locations, people unacounted for, buidling layout etc) for emergency services on arrival? PR procedures? Notifying surrounding community? Adding smoke and other effects would need to be risk assessed before hand but will add an element of realism. Consider inhalation of smoke, eye contact, damage to clothing, injury if they can't see and walk/run into something. Add pressure by asking questions whilst people are evacuating to get them thinking under stress, to move onto next area for example or to get through a door they must answer a question about the procedure correctly. Turn it into a game. Watch and make note of undesirable behaviour, people going to get belongings, attempting to use lifts, doors and windows not being closed behind them etc. Full de-brief afterwards to see what worked, what didn't work, how it can be improved and change procedures. Hope this helps, Dan
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Originally Posted by: SBH  I have the opportunity to have sole access to a room 30m x 30m, located in a remote building on the estate for 12 months.
Our business is healthcare and practical evacuation exercises are a nightmare to carry out. The idea behind the room is to use it to provide practical fire training, eg smoke machines and evacuation under pressure with obstacles along a designated route to make it more difficult ehilst evacuating persons etc. I just wondered if anyone had any positive ideas / input that could be implemented or they have used to make the exercises a positive event.
Thanks
SBH
Why smoke machines, you then have to have all participants sign a health declaration, saying they do not suffer from breathing related illness. Just get goggles and put tissue paper over the front, it means they cannot see and gives the impression of a smoke filled room.
Smoke machines can also leave a residue on the floor and this could add to slips. It will need risk assessing anyway as people will bump into things.
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Rank: New forum user
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Hi SBH,
I would agree with Dan, practice what is in your procedures for Emergency Evacuation, this will also help to identify if there are any shortfalls in the procedure / anything that may have not been considered. When I have orgnised Emergency Drills I have also looked to see if there is scope to have the Emergency Services involved i.e. Fire Service so that they are familiar with the layout and surroundings, and more often than not can make reccomendations. Other ideas maybe to record the evacuation from the minute the alarm is raised taking note of who who done what etc and the timings to give the team something to work to imporve on for the next time.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Talk to your local fire service primary authority, they should have a business engagement team and will be able to help you to plan a meaningful training programme based on your workplace and informed by their experience of how people react in a fire. Make your local fire service your best buddy on all matters fire - they are very helpful and want to spread a positive message about fire safety. Other than that keep it relatively simple, if you overcomplicate things people won't get the message from the training that you want them to take away.
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 1 user thanked Hsquared14 for this useful post.
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